Teams announced for Triple Crown & Classification
The polo community’s focus is currently upon the impending European seasons, with the annul influx of players underway. However, the Argentine Polo Association (AAP) has announced the eight teams who will compete in the 2021 Argentine Triple Crown as well as the seven teams who will be playing in the Classification tournament for the two spots at Palermo. Whilst in previous years there has often been an inevitability of team line-ups, this year sees only Ellerstina and La Natividad Las Monjitas entering the same line-up as last year. La Dolfina sees their traditional 40 goal handicap decrease to 38 with the replacement of Pablo MacDonough and Juan Martín Nero with Francisco Elizalde (9) and Diego Cavanagh (9), which means Ellerstina and RS Murus Sanctus will be the two highest rated teams at 39 goals. 2021 will also see the return of Fred Mannix’s Alegria, who will be playing alongside Agustín Merlos, Tomás García del Río and Pedro Zacharias. Meanwhile, the Classification tournament so far has seven teams confirmed, with many line-ups featuring young up-and-coming players; this tournament will also feature second teams for Alegria and La Irenita with Alegria Fish Creek ad La Irentita II.
2021 Triple Crown Teams:
Ellerstina (39): Facundo Pieres (10), Hilario Ulloa (10), Gonzalo Pieres Jr. (9) & Nicolás Pieres (10)
RS Murus Sanctus (39): Facundo Sola (9), Guillermo Caset (10), Pablo Mac Donough (10) & Juan Martín Nero (10)
La Dolfina (38): Adolfo Cambiaso (10,) David Stirling (10), Francisco Elizalde (9) & Diego Cavanagh (9)
La Natividad Las Monjitas (36): Camilo ‘Jeta’ Castagnola (9), Pablo Pieres (9), Bartolomé Castagnola Jr. (9) & Ignatius du Plessis (9)
La Ensenada (33): Juan Britos (9), Alfredo Bigatti (8), Juan M. Zubía (8) & Jerónimo del Carril (8)
La Dolfina Brava (33): Adolfo Cambiaso Jr. (8), Guillermo Terrera (9), Rodrigo Ribeiro de Andrade (8) & Alejo Taranco (8)
La Irenita (31): Santiago Loza (8), Segundo Bocchino (7), Ignacio Toccalino (8) & Isidro Strada (8)
Alegría (28): Agustín Merlos (7), Pedro Zacharías (7), Tomás García del Río (7) & Fred Mannix (7)
2021 Classification Teams:
Alegría Fish Creek (30): Juan Ruiz Guiñazú (8), Clemente Zavaleta (7), Joaquín Pittaluga (7) & Bautista Bayugar (8)
La Esquina (29): Pascual Sáinz de Vicuña (6), Cristian Laprida (8), Lucas James (7) & Ignacio Laprida (8)
Chapaleufú (29): Rufino Bensadón (7), Juan Martín Zavaleta (8), Julián de Lusarreta (7) & Felipe Dabas (7
)La Aguada (29): Peke González (7), Manuel Elizalde (7), Miguel Novillo Astrada (8) & Tomás Beresford (7)
La Fija (28): Raúl Colombres (7), Ezequiel Martínez Ferrario (7), Ignacio Negri (7) & Felipe Vercellino (7)
La Irenita II (28): Martín Podestá (7), Juan A. García Grossi (7), Facundo Fernández Llorente (7) & Tomás Fernández Llorente (7)
Los Machitos (28): Victorino Ruiz Jorba (7), Lucas Díaz Alberdi (7), Mariano Aguerre (7) & Martín Aguerre (7)
Photograph: Ellerstina, as well as RS Murus Sanctus will be the two highest rated teams at 39 goals.
By Prensa AAP/Matias Callejo