TRIPLE CROWN

The Argentine Triple Crown is always played during spring in the southern hemisphere and is composed of the three highest-rated tournaments worldwide.

Perhaps the most notable aspect of the 2022 Triple Crown was that only two teams remained unchanged from 2021. These were La Natividad – the winners of the Argentine Open in 2021 – and Ellerstina. The other six top teams all featured changes.

La Dol na had Francisco Elizalde and Diego Cavanagh stepping out, and

Cambiaso Jr joining Aldofo Cambiaso and David Stirling with Juan Martín Nero making a comeback. Pablo Mac Donough, who left RS Murus Sanctus, formed his own team, La Irenita. Guillermo Caset and Facundo Sola, the two remaining members of Corinne Ricard’s French organisation, joined forces with La Ensenada, alongside Alfredo Bigatti and Jerónimo del Carril.

The rst part of the Triple Crown is the Tortugas Open, played on a knockout basis with eight teams taking part. The Tortugas

Open featured two particularly remarkable matches won by the smallest of margins; in one semi nal, La Natividad beat La Dol na 10-9 and they then claimed a 14-13 win in the nal over Ellerstina.

The second part of the Triple Crown, the Hurlingham Open, also featured eight teams, although with a different xture arrangement. Two unexpected results emerged in the opening rounds –La Ensenada’s 13-11 win over Ellerstina and the last league decider between La Irenita and La Natividad, seeing La Natividad victorious and into the nal.

The derby between La Dol na and Ellerstina proved a surprise, with the former winning by eight goals. It all meant that the nal was contested between La Dol na and La Irenita, with Cambiaso’s lineup making a strong early impression. La Irenita managed to close the gap to one goal by half time, but La Dol na re-took the lead in the remaining chukkas. La Irenita bounced back in the nal chukka but La Dol na ran out 13-12 winners.

The Argentine Open provided the nal leg of the Triple Crown, with the usual 10 teams – two more coming from Quali cation. However, these two teams weren’t up to the task, as La Ensenada and La Natividad had both been a few years previously.

La Natividad, the reigning champions, were the top-seeded team within League A, followed by La Irenita, who had great chances to win. Indeed, they were so competitive, the clash between the two of them ended up with the Castagnola’s La Natividad victorious by just one goal.

La Dol na and Ellerstina were placed in League B. Perhaps the big surprise of the Open was the win of the unfancied La Dol na II, over the Pieres, who were easily beaten by La Dol na, as well.

The nal was not quite up to the usual standard, partly because the ground was not in good condition. Nevertheless, La Dol na played fast-paced, open polo, and had no trouble defeating La Natividad by four goals to claim the trophy.

The Argentine Triple Crown demonstrates that Argentine polo is growing in a variety of exciting ways. Most signi cantly, there appears to be a vibrant new generation of talented players emerging – many of them still teenagers – such as the Castagnola brothers, Cambiaso Jr., Ru no Bensadon, Lucas Monteverde Jr., Tomás Panelo, Juan M Zubía, and Cruz Heguy. And despite their youth, they have already played the Triple Crown as well as other high-goal tournaments.