Thu 24th Sep 2026Kazak and Why Not Crowned Open de France Champions A Finals Day to remember at Polo Club de Domaine de Chantilly
Polo Times was in Chantilly on Sunday 20 September for a superb Finals Day at the Polo Club du Domaine de Chantilly, where Kazak lifted the Open de France BARNES trophy and British 10 goaler Hazel Jackson led Why Not to victory in the SkinCeuticals Women’s Open de France after a jam-packed day of thrilling, fast-paced polo.
The Open de France BARNES Final produced a closer run contest between Kazak and Akasha. Opening the scoring early with two quick field goals, Kazak then led throughout, holding advantages of 2-1, 4-3, 6-5 and 8-6 before taking a 10-6 lead heading in the final chukka. Akasha’s quick thinking and defensive prowess kept them in the game throughout, and meant Kazak could never relax or become comfortable. With Akasha nipping at the heels of the young, predominantly Argentine Kazak side, this was clearly shown in the final chukka when, trailing by a seemingly insurmountable four goal deficit, Akasha responded with three quick goals to close to 10-9, coming agonisingly close to forcing extra time, but a last-gasp save on the goal line denied Akasha the triumphant comeback and secured Kazak the title.
Youth was clearly at the heart of Kazak’s victory, with Pedro Chavanne and 16-year-old Leon Donoso scoring four goals apiece and Teodoro Lacau adding two. Donoso was named Most Valuable Player, becoming the youngest player to receive the award in Open de France history. Irenita Risa, played by Facundo Fernández Llorente, was named Best Playing Pony.
The Open de France BARNES Final teams:
Kazak (17): Sébastien Aguettant (0), Pedro Chavanne (5), Leon Donoso (5) & Teodoro Lacau (7)
Akasha (17): Alexandre Garese (0), Ciro Urturi (3), Facundo Fernández Llorente (7) & Tommy Beresford (7)
Earlier in the day, homegrown hero Hazel Jackson produced a dominant performance as Why Not defeated defending champions Augustinus Bader 8-1 in The Open de France Feminin Final. Hana Groll’s disciplined and well-organised Why Not side led 5-1 at halftime, with Jackson converting four penalties, before adding three unanswered goals in the second half.
Jackson scored seven of Why Not’s eight goals in the Final and finished the tournament with 22, earning the Best Professional Player Award after a remarkable performance throughout, alongside her contribution to Octogone’s success reaching the Semi Finals of the mixed tournament. Her El Overo Z7 Michinga was named Best Playing Pony, while teammate Lorena Renggli received the Best Amateur Player Award topping her day off after scoring a phenomenal, running goal in the final chukka.
The Open de France Feminin Final teams:
Why Not (16): Allegra Barnaba (1), Lorena Renggli (2), Hana Grill (3) & Hazel Jackson (10)
Augustinus Bader (16): Alicia Gariador (3), Mendoza Houben (1), Paloma Lauro (4) & Lia Salvo (8)
Photograph: Kazak celebrate their hard-earned win. By Justine Jacquemot
 | 
Contact us 
Thu 24th Sep 2026
Thu 24th Sep 2026
Thu 17th Sep 2026
Tue 15th Sep 2026
Wed 9th Sep 2026
Tue 8th Sep 2026
Tue 1st Sep 2026
