La Natividad La Dolfina became the champion of the 86th Tortugas Country Club Open this Sunday, November 8, after defeating La Hache Polo Team 16 goals to 10 in the highly anticipated final played on field number 6 of the Tortugas Country Club. With this great victory, the forty-goal handicap line-up managed to retain the prestigious Emilio de Anchorena Cup they had conquered in last year's edition, confirming their dominance in the Argentine polo Triple Crown.
The team made up of Adolfo Cambiaso, his son Poroto, and his nephews Bartolomé Castagnola and Camilo Castagnola, managed to impose their conditions only in the final chukkers. In the beginning of the match, and up to the fifth period, the score remained tied or with a one-goal difference, with both teams having their moments.
Just as it had happened in the recent Hurlingham Club Open final, the Cañuelas team ended up taking the match thanks to a well-oiled collective functioning and remarkable effectiveness in key moments. Facing them, La Hache, lining up Hilario Ulloa, Tomás Panelo, Carlos María Ulloa, and Benjamín Panelo, sought to reverse the previous precedent by betting on tight marking and fast counterattacks. However, the hierarchy of the perfect handicap team ended up making the difference on the scoreboard, especially in the second half.
Objective data also strongly backs the champions' title. La Natividad La Dolfina finished its successful run through the Tortuguitas tournament undefeated, gathering victories in its 4 matches for Zone A, in addition to the final. This title not only means a back-to-back championship in Tortugas, but also consolidates a statistically unbeatable record, with 20 victories since its formation.
The Cañuelas quartet proved once again that integrating Adolfo Cambiaso's experience with the relentless offensive power and individual class of his young teammates is highly fruitful. It was the 11th Tortugas title for Adolfo Cambiaso, the second for his son Poroto, and the fourth for both Bartolomé Castagnola and his brother Camilo.
For its part, La Hache closes its participation in this second stage of the season having reached its second consecutive Triple Crown final. Despite the defeat in the decisive match, the club founded by Hilario Ulloa confirmed its place as the second strongest force in the current season. Furthermore, they will have a chance for a rematch in Palermo, as they will share Zone A with the Cañuelas squad.
After the match, the players of the winning team fundamentally agreed on one aspect: the goal difference. "Based on what was seen in the match, it's a deceptive result, we extended that difference more at the end. What this team has is that it tries to play a certain way, pushing the pace, sometimes it works out for us. Today they dominated for a large part of the match. It was a blow-for-blow match and in the end, truth be told, we played an incredible last chukker" highlighted Poroto Cambiaso.
For his part, Adolfo, his father, made the following analysis: "For me, the result is very deceptive, based on how the match went. And, well, we are a great team, I think the opponent has to play well to beat us. I think the result was deceptive, there wasn't a 6-goal difference, I even think we played better in the Hurlingham final, which we won by 4."
The victory obtained yesterday leaves La Natividad La Dolfina in a privileged position facing what is next: The Argentine Polo Open in Palermo. It is the only candidate with chances of claiming the coveted Triple Crown, an achievement they also obtained in 2025. The pony lines and horses will now move to the City of Buenos Aires, where the forty-goal team will seek to crown a season that reflects absolute dominance on the fields.
The polo world waits expectantly for the start of the most important tournament in the world, which will feature the participation of 10 teams, from November 14 to December 12.
