The much anticipated 131st. Argentine Polo Open Championship kicked off on Saturday November 2, with two fabulous games that took place at Palermo, that saw La Hache Cría & Polo and Cría La Dolfina victorious, over La Ensenada and Indios Chapaleufu, respectively. The most important polo tournament in the world sees ten teams up to 4o goals, partake.

La Hache Cría & Polo and Indios Chapaleufu (League A) opened fire. The legendary Heguy family’s lineup dominated the first chukka, but La Hache Cría & Polo made a slow comeback, thanks to Facundo Sola´s goals. From trailing 1-8 in the first chukkas, they bounced back until they reached the last chukka tied at 10-all. In that last chukka, Benjamin Panelo scored to put his team 11-10 and Toly Ulloa sealed the deal with 15 seconds remaining. At the end of the day, La Hache Cría & Polo earned a 12-10 win, their first in the 2024 Triple Crown.

Up next, the Cañuelas-based foursome, Cría La Dolfina, met up with La Ensenada (League B) on ground 1. La Ensenada got off to a stronger start, and by the third chukka they already had an impressive 10-2 lead. However, Cría La Dolfina made a spectacular comeback in the second half, led by the lethal combination composed of Bautista Bayugar and Rufino Bensadon. The latter delivered an outstanding performance and put the ice on the cake – with only 17 seconds remaining, the young Rufino scored the goal that secured Cría la Dolfina a 16-14 victory.

The 131st. Argentine Polo Open Championship will continue on Sunday November 3, with the following order of play:

2pm: La Dolfina vs La Zeta Kazak 

4,30pm: La Natividad vs La Aguada

The championship match of the 131st. Argentine Polo Open Championship is due on Saturday December 7.

13st. Argentine Polo Open Championship – Teams & Fixture

Cover photo by Matías Callejo.