La Ensenada and La Irenita claimed respective wins against La Dolfina and BP Polo following the matches played on Sunday, September 26 for the 56° Jockey Club Thai Polo Cup, one of the most prestigious competitions in Argentina. The tournament precedes the much anticipated Argentine Triple Crown.
The 2021 edition is organised by Harald Link’s Thai Polo, with the support of Minuto Siete Polo. The best news is that the competition is hosted in its original home, the iconic club located in San Isidro. It is worth remembering that the 2019 Jockey Club Open final was played between Pilot and Valiente at Palermo, with Curtis Pilot’s lineup running out the winners.
First up on Sunday, La Ensenada took an impressive 12-8 win over La Dolfina. Solid team play saw them at their best in the fourth and fifth chukkas, when they outscored La Dolfina and took a crucial advantage that ultimately led to victory. The following game was a very different story: La Irenita beat BP Polo 7-5 in a very close contest, that saw Sapo Caset give a powerful offensive performance. This was the first match in Argentina that saw Adolfo Cambiaso play against Pablo MacDonough and Juan MartÃn Nero, after the latter two departed from the extremely successful La Dolfina last year. In BP Polo, Gonzalo Ferrari replaced an injured Facundo Sola halfway the first chukka.
The wins gave both La Ensenada and La Irenita big chances to qualify for the final.
The 56th Jockey Club Open Thai Polo Cup sees six teams, between 30 and 34 goals, compete. The tournament runs from Thursday, September 23, to Saturday, October 2. Attention will not only fall on the skills and organisations of the players, but on the challenge implied in hosting the tournament in its original home once again. Battro Polo Fields has worked hard on grounds one and two to ensure that they are in perfect condition when the time comes to play.
Thai Polo be in charge of the event itself, but also in bringing its high level of excellence to the competition. Their motto ‘high quality, high hospitality,’ is sure to provide the Jockey Club Open with the characteristic warmth of Thai Polo, and a superior set up in terms of organisation.
THE 56th JOCKEY CLUB OPEN THAI POLO CUP IS STREAMED LIVE ON POLOLINE TVÂ HERE!
The finalists of the main trophy, and the two subsidiaries, will emerge on Tuesday, September 28, after the last league games, played as follows:
1pm: La H vs. BP Polo
4pm: Ellerstina Pilot vs. La Dolfina
JOCKEY CLUB OPEN THAI POLO CUP – SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 26
LA ENSENADA 12-8 LA DOLFINA
La Ensenada: Juan Britos 9 (4 goals, three penalties), Alfredo Bigatti 8 (3), Juan M. ZubÃa 8 (2), Bartolomé Castagnola (h) 9 (3). Total: 34.
La Dolfina:Â Lucas Monteverde Jr. 5 (1 penalty), Adolfo Cambiaso 8 (6, three penalties), Alejo Taranco 8, Diego Cavanagh 9 (1). Total: 30.
Score La Ensenada:Â 1-1, 3-1, 4-2, 7-3, 11-4, 12-8.
Umpires:Â Guillermo Villanueva & MartÃn GotÃ.
Third Man: Juan José DÃaz Alberdi.
LA IRENITA 7-5 BP POLO
La Irenita: MatÃas Mac Donough Jr. 3 (1), Guillermo Caset 10 (5, two penalties), Pablo Mac Donough 10 (1), Juan MartÃn Nero 10. Total: 33.
BP Polo: Joevy Beh 4 (2, one penalty), Francisco Elizalde 9 (1), Facundo Sola 9 *, Adolfo Cambiaso 10 (1). Total 32. (* Subbed by Gonzalo Ferrari 5, 1 goal, at 4m 8sec of the first chukka).
Score La Irenita:Â 1-1, 2-2, 3-3, 3-4, 5-4, 7-5.
Umpires: Gonzalo López Vargas & Gastón Lucero.
Third Man: Juan José Araya.
IMAGES:
Jockey Club Open Thai Polo Cup – Day 2
Jockey Club Open Thai Polo Cup – Teams & Fixture