Following the suspension of the Tortugas Country Club Open final — originally scheduled for Saturday, October 25 — due to the heavy rains that hit the Buenos Aires Metropolitan Area over Friday and Saturday, the long-awaited match will finally take place this Thursday, October 30. La Natividad La Dolfina and Ellerstina Indios Chapaleufú will battle for the title of the second leg of the Argentine Triple Crown on Field No. 7 at Tortugas Country Club, located just 30 minutes from downtown Buenos Aires.
La Natividad La Dolfina will be aiming for its second title since the two organizations joined forces. The team comes into this match fresh off their victory at the Hurlingham Open a few weeks ago, and remains unbeaten this season, having won all six of their games so far. In fact, the only previous encounter between these two finalists took place in the semifinals of the Hurlingham Open, where the Cañuelas-based team edged out their rivals from General Rodríguez in an extra chukker after a tightly contested match.
La Natividad La Dolfina enters Thursday’s final not only as the favorite to lift the Tortugas trophy but also as the leading contender for Palermo — the most prestigious stage in world polo, which will be kicking off on Saturday, November 1st. Beyond boasting the perfect 40-goal handicap, the team features Bartolomé and Camilo Castagnola alongside their cousin Poroto Cambiaso — widely regarded as the three best players in the world — and the legendary Adolfo Cambiaso. Together, they form a formidable mix of talent, experience, and horsepower that is exceedingly difficult to counter.
That said, Ellerstina Indios Chapaleufú has shown remarkable improvement since the start of the season and will be eager to cause an upset — and they have the tools to do it. The team represents a powerful alliance between two of polo’s most storied families: the Pieres and the Heguys. Combining experience and youth across their four players, and backed by four strong breeding and training operations, their horsepower and organization are among the best in the sport.
There will be plenty at stake beyond the immediate trophy. For cousins Antonio and Cruz Heguy, both 22, this will be their first-ever Triple Crown final. Their teammate Facundo Pieres will be chasing his 12th Tortugas title, which would allow him to equal Pablo Mac Donough as the tournament’s all-time top winner. His brother Gonzalo, meanwhile, will be going for his 11th championship. Ellerstina remains the most successful team in Tortugas history with 13 titles, having first won in 1992 and most recently in 2021. Indios Chapaleufú, on the other hand, has claimed 12 trophies in Tortugas — five as Indios Chapaleufú I, four as Los Indios, two as Indios Chapaleufú II, and one as Indios Chapaleufú.
As for La Natividad La Dolfina, Adolfo Cambiaso will seek his 10th Tortugas title, while his nephews Barto and Camilo Castagnola will look to lift the trophy for the third time. For Poroto Cambiaso, this could be his first-ever Tortugas championship. Individually, La Natividad owns two Tortugas titles (2022 and 2023), while La Dolfina claimed six consecutive wins between 2013 and 2018.
La Natividad La Dolfina: Camilo Castagnola 10, Adolfo Cambiaso (n) 10, Adolfo Cambiaso 10, Bartolomé Castagnola Jr. 10. Total: 40 goals.
Ellerstina Indios Chapaleufú Vista: Facundo Pieres 10, Antonio Heguy 8, Gonzalo Pieres Jr. 9, Cruz Heguy 9. Total: 36 goals.
Umpires: Gastón Lucero and Guillermo Villanueva. Third Man: Matías Baibiene.
Venue: Tortugas Country Club, Field #7.
Kick-Off: October 30, 5pm.
