La Natividad La Dolfina, recent winners of the 132nd. Hurlingham Open, and Los Machitos, claimed wins in the opening day of the 85th. Tortugas Open, on Friday October 10. The tournament is to be played entirely at Tortugas Country Club, in Tortuguitas. It’s worth to note that the tournament should have started on Tuesday October 7, but the kickoff was delayed due to poor weather.
La Natividad La Dolfina and Sol de Agosto opened the first matchdate. The contest had two first chukkas very leveled and fast paced and plenty of goals, nine. The Cañuelas-based foursome had a narrow 5-4 lead by the end of the second chukka. Things would change dramatically in a remarkable third chukka – La Natividad La Dolfina took off, through a fantastic performance delivered by Poroto Cambiaso. The 40-goal lineup also dominated the fourth chukka, widening the gap to 13-7 by half time. Meanwhile, Sol de Agosto struggled to stay in the game, with goals by Paquito de Narvaez and Facundo Sola.
Far from slowing down, La Natividad La Dolfina overwhelmed Sol de Agosto in the second half. The indomitable trio made of Poroto, Jeta and Barto made life imposible to their contenders – Jeta and Poroto were the powerful scorers, while Barto was the man in the right place at the right time. Any attempt from Sol de Agosto to come closer in the score was almost an impossible task; they were ruled by a merciless rival. The match was said and done in the sixth chukka, when La Natividad La Dolfina were 18-8 ahead. Halfway the seventh chukka, Adolfo Cambiaso scored to mark 21-10; and although Paquito de Narvaez and Benjamin Panelo produced a couple of goals in the last, the damage has already been done. Jeta Castagnola sealed the deal, ad La Natividad La Dolfina claimed an impressive 22-12 victory in their debut at the Tortugas Open.
Up next, Los Machitos and La Irenita La Hache played an epic match, one of those games one would like to end tied. It’s worth to notice that both teams were runner up in the last Hurlingham Open – the former in the Drysdale Cup and the latter in the Open. And half of La Irenita La Hache are title holders – La Irenita won the Tortugas Open in 2024, with Pablo MacDonough and Fran Elizalde in the lineup.
Both teams played a very red hot match, very balanced; the gap was never beyond one or two goals and plenty of ties, and was only decided in the last chukka. However, by the end of the third chukka, La Irenita La Hache managed to claim the widest advantage – 8-5, three goals ahead, thanks a Penalty 1 conversion by Nachi du Plessis. As for the rest, Los Machitos and La Irenita La Hache played a very hard fought contest. By half time, La Irenita La Hache were 8-7 up.
Things would be similar in the second half; although it slowed down a bit in the fifth chukka, the game bounced back within five minutes of play, when Teo Lacau passed the ball to Diego Cavanagh who scored to tie at 8-all. That until Pablo McDonough and Nachi du Plessis produced one goal each, to allow La Irenita La Hache to re-take the lead. The three last chukkas were almost epic, and the polo ground became a battlefield. Just let’s give a look to a hotter than hell seventh chukka, that saw four goals, two by Hilario Ulloa and two by Torito Ruiz. The fourth, produced by Torito marked the 13-all, with only one chukka left.
Teo Lacau opened the scores in the last chukka to secure Los Machitos a 14-13 lead. With around three minutes in regulation time, Torito Ruiz (already one of the most remarkable players of this 2025 Triple Crown), sealed the deal for Los Machitos, through a 60 yards penalty conversion, that marked the 15-13 advantage. And although Hilario Ulloa converted a corner, time was running up; Los Machitos claimed a very well deserved 15-14 victory, in their debut at the Tortugas Open.
The 85th. Tortugas Open will continue on Saturday October 11, with the following order of play:
11am: Ellerstina Indios Chapaleufu vs. La Ensenada
1,3opm: UAE vs. La Hache Cría & Polo
THE FINAL OF THE 85th. TORTUGAS OPEN WILL BE PLAYED ON SATURDAY OCTOBER 25.
85th. TORTUGAS OPEN – Teams & Fixture
Cover photo by Matías Callejo/AAP
