The stage was set on Saturday for a final of epic proportions in the 117th Argentina Polo Championship. The players were fired up, the ponies were ready, the stands were packed and history was ready to be made. And then, two and one-half minutes into the first chukker, a thunderstorm erupted and play was suspended until Sunday. Ellerstina took an early 2-1 lead on goals from Gonzalo and Facundo Pieres, while Cambiaso’s penalty was the last goal of the day.
The players, fans and ESPN’s HD cameras returned on Sunday for the conclusion of what was one of the greatest finals of the last decade. It was a beautiful, fast-paced match with five lead changes, only five penalty goals and the other twenty-two scored in play. It was also a match of La Dolfina 3-goal streaks which they pulled off three times in the 1st, 3rd/4th and the critical 5th. But it was the 6th chukker that defined the match, the season and the amazing balance of Ellerstina. Four goals: 1:18 – MacDonough, 2:40 – Nero, 3:48 – Facu and 5:39 – Gonzalito, who picked a good day to have the match of his life.
The 12-10 lead proved too much for La Dolfina, although Cambiaso did everything in his power and played brilliantly in the 7th when he scored two goals, but probably should have been credited with four. His penalty shot at 0:00 was ruled wide-left by the official and his shot of the match at 2:08 was tapped in at the goal by a waiting Castagnola. Ellerstina only needed one penalty shot in the 8th to seal the victory and clinch the fourth Triple Crown in history. A fitting send-off for the 40-handicap team of the year who will now disband as new teams are formed for the coming three seasons.
For the best coverage of Argentina polo, download the new issue of InvestBA Privada.
New Buenos Aires World Trade Center To Open In Puerto Madero
UADE: Buenos Aires Real Estate Average Price Now US$220 Per SF
City of Buenos Aires Real Estate Activity Down 5%; Property Values Up 17%
Buenos Aires Real Estate Developers Begin To Accept Payments in Pesos
Buenos Aires Short-term Rental Rates Rise 5-20% Depending On Size & Barrio
Argentina Property Owners Consider New Variables When Renting, Selling
Mendoza Struggling To Adapt Foreign Land Ownership Law to Local Realities
Average Real Estate Prices In Brazil Are 3-4x Higher Than In Argentina
Despite Demand, Mendoza Real Estate Market Sees New Construction Pullback
Argentina Rental Properties May Adopt Lease-Purchase Agreements
Major Waterfront Redevelopment & Yacht Club Announced In Montevideo
Carrasco: Montevideo Neighborhood Enjoys A Real Estate Renaissance
2012 Safety Report: Uruguay Is The Least Violent Country In Latin America
Imovéis: Brazilians Bought 55% More Punta del Este Real Estate Last Year
Punta del Este & Uruguay Must Target More North Americans & Europeans
What we can say right now, just Ellerstina well done, they scored 14 to 13, their archrival La Dolfina, which thanks God, played as a team, with the wonderful David “Pelon†Stirling. Pelon was the author of a unique and fantastic goal, which should be remembered in polo for years to come. Those ones of Cambiaso were almost natural, considering that he is the top player in the world. The problem with Adolfito that he believes that is the King, and even the referees and arbitrator cannot silence him, even if his permanent demands during the chukker aren’t allowed to other players, in the latter case they have to accept the rules, which is not the situation of Adolfo Jr. This will not change my opinion that he is a fabulous player, but he will not be better thinking all the time that nobody is better than him. He is a strange mixture of arrogance and uniqueness as a player. But Facundo Pieres, Gonzalito his eldest brother and Juan Martin Nero made my afternoon twice, last Saturday, when the event was postponed due to rainfall, and finally late Sunday. According with old polo players was one of the best matches in polo history. We had 117 Argentine Opens since 1893. In this one, Juan Martin Nero was recognized as the best player of the Open, title which he largely deserves it. David Stirling played extremely well in Dolfina wasn’t the case of Lucas Monteverde, who didn’t show why he is 10. Last but not least, we had one of the best and most entertain Palermo finals in many years. Thanks to both teams, and especially to the winners. Hope that next year I will see my favourite La Aguada playing the final.
[...] With last Sunday’s final in Palermo, the 2010 Triple Crown has come to an end, but the polo season lives year-round at one of the oldest and most beautiful estancias in Argentina. La Martina is only 30 miles from  downtown Buenos Aires, but once you enter the gates of the sprawling 500-acre estancia, you feel as if you are entering another century. [...]
[...] Ellerstina battled La Dolfina in the Super Bowl of Polo last December in the final jewel of the Triple Crown, the match showcased eight of the [...]
[...] Pieres and Ellerstina faced off against Adolfo Cambiaso and La Dolfina in the epic final of the 117th Argentina Polo Championship, it was the first time ESPN broadcast a high-goal polo tournament in HD. But as spectacular as the [...]
[...] Polo in Buenos Aires, it conjures up images of Cambiaso and Palermo, high-goals and Hurlingham or Ellerstina v. La Dolfina. But the new wave of “polo” being embraced by the City of Buenos Aires is slowly [...]
[...] 18-14. Today’s final finds La Dolfina and Ellerstina in familiar territory an a rematch of last year’s Polo Superclasico which Ellerstina won 14-13 on the winning goal by Facundo [...]