A new edition of the Argentine Polo Open is just a few hours away, and it is a good moment to give a look to numbers and facts regarding the past Hurlingham Open and Tortugas Open, prior to what’s expected from Tuesday October 31 to Saturday December 2. Let’s take a look into the history of the players who are due to play at the Cathedral, Palermo.

Among other intersting facts, Palermo starts once again, and since 2021, with different winners, which means that no team will be able to take the Triple Crown. The last time a team reached Palermo with chances to win the Triple Crown was Ellerstina, back in 2020; La Dolfina was the last lineup who won the Triple Crown in 2015, which also marked a record – they claimed the Triple Crown for three consecutive season.

Of all the active players, Adolfo Cambiaso is currently the most winner of the Argentine Open, with 18 titles, two behind the absolute recordman, Juan Carlos Harriott Jr., who will receive a tribute in the opening day, since the main ground of the Argentine Association of Polo Headquarters in Pilar, will be named after the Coronel Suarez superstar. Meanwhile, ground number 2 will be named after another remarkable polo personality, Frankie Dorignac. Dorignac, who has been a member of the mighty Santa Ana, Coronel Suarez’s firece opponents, has also been President of the AAP.

There are two new records in this 2023. Adolfo Cambiaso reached Juancarlitos Harriott as the maximum historical winner, with 15 titles; Pablo MacDonough earned his 12th. title in Tortugas, that makes him the player who won the tournament more than anyone else. Meanwhile, Facundo Pieres is tied with Alberto Pedro Heguy in the second positions, with 11 titles each.

Since 2017, the Argentine Open sees ten teams compete. And there will be many debuts this years. With regards to the teams, and although La Hache was in the main draw in 2022, this season the Ulloa family’s organisation will present two teams in Palermo: La Hache La Roca and La Hache Cría & Polo. Another lineup due to make their debut in the Open is El Overo Z7 UAE, one of the teams who emerged from the Qualification Tournament. At the same time, the lineup will feature three young guns who will play Palermo for the first time ever: Lukin Monteverde, Teo Lacau and Cruz Heguy.

There will be a special clash between the top scorers of the current Triple Crown. Camilo Castagnola leads the standings, with 56 goals; in addition, he has been top scorer both in Hurlingham and Tortugas – he produced 28 goals in both of them. Guess who is following him closely, in the second position? No less than his cousin Poroto Cambiaso, with 47 goals. He scored 23 in Hurlingham and 24 in Tortugas.

Uruguay’s born, David Stirling, is the non-Argentinian player who has won Palermo more than any other foreign player – 10 titles, all of them with La Dolfina. The first was in 2011 and the most recent, in 2022. Following his debut with Indios Chapaleufu II, in 2009, he moved to Cañuelas, and from then on, he has been a steady member of La Dolfina.

With regards to historical facts of the participant teams in the upcoming 2023 Palermo, Ellerstina have played the most, since their debut in 1992, with a lineup that included Gonzalo Pieres, Adolfo Cambiaso, Cristián Laprida and Mariano Aguerre. They claimed the Argentine Open six times, as well as the Triple Crown in 1994 and 2010.

La Dolfina also has a rich history in Palermo. They made their debut in 2000 and the lineup was composed of Adolfo Cambiaso, Bartolomé Castagnola, Sebastián Merlos and Juan Ignacio Merlos. With the exception of 2004, they have played all the finals, and won a total of 15 titles.

These are the teams who will play the Argentine Open, and their history:

ZONA A

-La Dolfina Saudi: Played Palermo since 2000.

-Cría La Dolfina (participated under the name of La Dolfina Polo Ranch as well): play Palermo since 2017.

-La Hache La Roca: Debut.

-La Hache Cría & Polo: Played Palermo in 2022.

-La Esquina: They played Palermo in 2017, under the name La Esquina Los Machitos.

ZONA B

-La Natividad: They played Palermo for the first time in 2012.

–Ellerstina: First time, 1992.

-La Ensenada: Made their debut in 2018.

-La Irenita Clinova: The first time a La Irenita lineup played Palermo was in 2002. 

-El Overo Z7 UAE: Debut.