Mon 5th Oct 2026La Natividad La Dolfina Retain Hurlingham Open Defending champions begin 2026 Triple Crown with another title
La Natividad La Dolfina have picked up where they left off, securing the first title of the 2026 Argentine Triple Crown with an 18-14 victory over La Hache in the Final of the 133rd Hurlingham Open on Sunday 4 October after a slight rain delay shifted the match by a day.
The defending champions arrived at the historic Hurlingham Club as favourites, but La Hache were certainly not there simply to make up the numbers. The opening exchanges were tight, with the scores level at 1-1 after the first chukka, Poroto Cambiaso having drawn first blood only to be reposted by a huge neck shot goal from Hilario Ulloa. Play continued like this for the first two chukkas with La Natividad La Dolfina holding only a slender 3-2 advantage after the second.
From there, however, the 40 goal combination began to show exactly why they remain the team to beat. With Poroto Cambiaso and the Castagnola brothers increasingly influential, they moved 6-3 ahead after the third before another unanswered three goals opened up a commanding 9-3 halftime advantage.
To their credit, La Hache refused to let the Final run away from them. Hilario Ulloa and Benjamín Panelo led the response as they reduced the deficit to 11-7 after the fifth, but every time La Hache threatened to make serious inroads, the champions found another gear. La Natividad La Dolfina stretched their lead to 15-9 and then 17-12 with one chukka remaining.
There was still some late drama as Ulloa and Panelo brought La Hache back to within three at 17-14, but the door was firmly closed when Adolfo Cambiaso found Barto Castagnola for the final goal, sealing an 18-14 victory and another Ayrshire Cup.
It continues a remarkable run for La Natividad La Dolfina, who have now won four consecutive Triple Crown tournaments and back-to-back Hurlingham Opens with this conjoined team. The victory also delivered another milestone for Adolfo Cambiaso, whose 17th Hurlingham Open title extends his record as the tournament’s most successful player. Barto and Jeta Castagnola and Poroto Cambiaso have each now won the title four times.
It was also quite an afternoon for Barto Castagnola. His four goals were accompanied by both the Juan Carlos Harriott MVP Award and Javier Novillo Astrada Best Player of the Final Award, while two of his ponies, Negra Milonga and Luca Gyulia, collected Best Playing Pony honours. La Hache’s Hilario Ulloa finished as the Final’s leading scorer with seven goals.
With Hurlingham secured, La Natividad La Dolfina have laid down the first marker of the Argentine season. Next comes the 86th Tortugas Open before attention turns to Palermo and the 133rd Argentine Open – and the champions’ pursuit of another clean sweep of the Triple Crown.
133rd Hurlingham Open Final teams:
La Natividad La Dolfina (40): Camilo ‘Jeta’ Castagnola (10), Adolfo ‘Poroto’ Cambiaso (10), Adolfo Cambiaso (10) & Bartolomé ‘Barto’ Castagnola Jr. (10)
La Hache (34): Hilario Ulloa (9), Carlos María Ulloa (8), Benjamín Panelo (8) & Tomás Panelo (9)
Photograph: La Natividad La Dolfina retain The Hurlingham Open title after defeating La Hache. By Matías Callejo / Prensa AAP
Mon 5th Oct 2026La Irenita and La Zeta Kazak Secure Triple Crown Places Qualification decided after two nail-biting finales in Pilar
La Irenita and La Zeta Kazak have booked their places in both the 86th Tortugas Open and 133rd Argentine Open after a dramatic final day of the Copa Remonta y Veterinaria Qualification Tournament at the AAP grounds in Pilar on Friday 2 October. Both deciding matches went down to the closing minutes after several changes of lead.
In League A, La Irenita overcame Velay 14-12. Matías Mac Donough Jr. helped them establish a 6-3 advantage before Velay fought back to level the scores at 8-8. Pablo Mac Donough and Polito Pieres helped La Irenita regain control before Paco de Narváez and Mac Donough Jr. completed the job. The latter finished with six goals, while Velay’s Facundo Sola top-scored with eight.
League B produced an equally tight affair as La Zeta Kazak edged La Dolfina II 14-13. La Dolfina II led 9-7 after the fourth chukka, but La Zeta Kazak clawed their way back, with Lorenzo Chavanne contributing seven goals and Nicolás Pieres four. Lucas Criado Jr. led the opposition with nine goals, seven from penalties, but La Zeta Kazak held firm to secure qualification.
With these victories and the results from The Hurlingham Open, the leagues for both The Tortugas and The Argentine Opens have been defined:
The 86th. Tortugas Open leagues:
League A: La Natividad La Dolfina, Ellerstina Indios Chapaleufu, La Ensenada, Don Ercole, La Zeta Kazak
League B: La Hache, Las Monjitas , Hiper Polo, La Aguada, La Irenita
The 133rd. Argentine Open teams:
League A: La Natividad La Dolfina, La Hache, La Ensenada, Don Ercole, La Irenita
League B: Ellerstina Indios Chapaleufu, Las Monjitas, Hiper Polo, La Aguada, La Zeta Kazak
Photograph: La Zeta were the second team to classify for The Tortugas and Argentine Opens. By Matias Callejo
Mon 28th Sep 2026Finalists Set for The 133rd Hurlingham Open Semi Finals drama in Argentina as La Natividad and La Hache head to the Final
After a surprise in The Jockey Club Open that saw La Natividad La Dolfina lose out on a place in the Final thanks to a close call defeat by Las Monjitas, the status quo has somewhat been restored in the Semi Finals of The Hurlingham Open, the first of the Triple Crown tournaments in Argentina after a rematch. An emphatic victory saw Triple Crown defending champions La Natividad La Dolfina through to the Final of the 133rd Hurlingham Open after beating Las Monjitas 22-10 on Friday 25 September.
The Semi Final started competitively, with Las Monjitas briefly leading 5-4 before La Natividad La Dolfina moved 9-5 ahead by half-time. The decisive break came in the fifth chukka, when Poroto Cambiaso and the Castagnolas helped produce a 5-0 run to extend their advantage to 14-5. Las Monjitas struggled to respond as the defending champions continued to pull clear. A well-oiled machine, La Natividad La Dolfina eventually doubled their opponents score and secured their place in the Final.
The second Semi Final played on Saturday 26 September was a much closer affair with La Hache securing their place in the Final after edging Ellerstina Indios Chapaleufú 13-12 in a thrilling and hard fought eight chukkas. La Hache led 4-1 after the opening chukka, but Ellerstina Indios Chapaleufú fought back and the teams were level 7-7 at half-time. The second half remained incredibly tight, with the lead changing hands and the scores tied 12-12 heading into the final chukka after a hotter than hot seventh period.
Benjamín Panelo ultimately proved the difference, converting the decisive penalty to complete the 13-12 victory. La Hache will now face La Natividad La Dolfina in the Final on Saturday 3 October. Hiper Polo will play against La Ensenada for The Subsidiary Drysdale Cup on Thursday 1 October.
The 133rd Hurlingham Open Semi Finals teams:
La Natividad La Dolfina (40): Adolfo Cambiaso (10), Camilo Castagnola (10), Poroto Cambiaso (10) & Bartolomé Castagnola (10)
Las Monjitas (35): Juan Martín Nero (9), Lucas Monteverde (9), Rufino Bensadon (8) & David Stirling (9)
La Hache Polo Team (34): Hilario Ulloa (9), Tomás Panelo (9), Benjamín Panelo (8) & Carlos María Ulloa (8)
Ellerstina / Indios Chapaleufú (37): Facundo Pieres (10), Gonzalo Pieres Jr. (9), Cruz Heguy (9) & Antonio Heguy (9)
Photograph: Celebratory hugs as La Hache take the second spot in The Hurlingham Final. By Matias Callejo
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