Tomorrow, Tuesday 15 April, Adolfo Cambiaso turns 50. Most athletes have long since retired at that age, but the Argentine is in the middle of the U.S. Open Polo Championship in Wellington, and by every account he is playing as well as ever.
A career without precedent
Cambiaso was born on 15 April 1975. He has been rated at the maximum 10 goals since 1994, when he was still a teenager, which makes him one of the youngest players ever to reach the top of the handicap scale. The longevity is the remarkable part. Few players stay at 10 goals for a decade, and he has now done it for three.
This season has already brought another title. In February he won the C.V. Whitney Cup for the tenth time, with La Dolfina/Tamera beating Coca-Cola 11-10 in the final. He was named Most Valuable Player and his mare Dolfina Carola took the best playing pony award. At the Gold Cup at Cowdray Park in England, he shares the record for Argentine wins with Eduardo Moore at eight titles each.
Father and son
The U.S. Open this year has an extra storyline. Cambiaso’s son Poroto, who is 19, plays for another La Dolfina team in the field, so the family has two entries and two chances to lift the trophy. The teams are called La Dolfina/Tamera and La Dolfina/Catamount, and they could meet in the later rounds.
- The U.S. Open runs from 26 March to 20 April at the National Polo Center.
- It is the closing leg of the Gauntlet of Polo.
- The USPA Gold Cup was won by Park Place, who beat Coca-Cola in overtime.
What the number means
Much of the success that fans see on the field is built long before the ball is thrown in. The La Dolfina programme breeds and trains some of the best ponies in the game, and Cambiaso’s mares have picked up best playing pony awards in finals this winter, including at the C.V. Whitney Cup and at St. Moritz in January.
Whatever happens in the semi-finals this week, it is hard not to admire a player who is still setting the pace for the sport half a century in. We will report on the final next Monday.
Sources: Wikipedia, Adolfo Cambiaso, USPA, C.V. Whitney Cup 2025, PoloHub, Gold Cup preview
