The second leg of the Argentine Triple Crown began last week, and there has been polo news from Paraguay and Italy as well.
The Tortugas Open begins
The 86th Tortugas Open opened on Tuesday 6 October. It runs from 6 October to 7 November, with ten matchdays followed by a final. In the first match, La Ensenada beat Don Ercole, and later that day Ellerstina Indios Chapaleufu also started well, with the Pieres brothers in the line-up. Facundo Pieres was named the top scorer of the first day.
The tournament is in two zones, with La Irenita and La Zeta Kazak, who came through the qualifier last week, making their debuts in the Tortugas Open for the first time. That is a notable change for a competition that has long been a closed shop.
La Natividad La Dolfina are the favourites after retaining the Hurlingham Open, but with the Tortugas a longer league format, every point counts. A single loss in the early rounds can put a team under real pressure later in the competition.
El Isma win the Paraguay Open
The 8th Paraguay Open ended on Saturday 3 October with El Isma as champions. They were Pedro Cabarcos, Matías del Real, Edmundo Donelly and Alfredo Boden, and Matías del Real was named MVP. The best horse was La Huella, owned by El Isma. Baguales-Florida won the Subsidiary Cup. The tournament began with a presentation and team draw on 29 September, with qualifying rounds at the Arroyos y Esteros Polo Club on 30 September and 1 October.
It is good to see Paraguayan polo go from strength to strength. Juan Jose Arnold Garcia returned to the presidency of the Paraguayan Polo Federation in May, and the Open is a flagship event.
Italian Championship
At the Roma Polo Club, four teams of up to six goals played for the Italian Championship from 3 to 11 October. The team Acquedotto Romano / Brighton College Polo Team were crowned champions, with Lavinia Elser, Peter Elser, Patricio Gaynor and Goffredo Cutinelli Rendina in the line-up. The other teams were La Cavallerizza Autocentri Balduina, S&K Castelluccia Christie’s and UnoAerre Pier.Gio. Investments.
It is a charming format, with a strong mix of local amateurs and professionals.
This week
- More Tortugas Open matchdays in Pilar
We will bring you the standings as soon as the zones begin to take shape.
Sources: Polo Press (Tortugas Open), Polo Press (Paraguay Open), Polo Press (Italian Championship)
