Argentine Polo, Palermo Open and Cloned Horses — 2026-09-26
The 2026 Argentine Triple Crown is officially underway, with the 133rd Hurlingham Open launching on September 22 at the AAP grounds. La Natividad La Dolfina has stormed through the bracket, reaching the final with a historic 12-goal semifinal rout of Las Monjitas, while Ellerstina Indios Chapaleufú and surprise package La Hache battle Saturday for the other spot. Meanwhile, La Nación opened coverage of the Doble Corona qualifying route toward Tortugas and Palermo.
Argentine Polo, Palermo Open and Cloned Horses — 2026-09-26
Top developments
La Natividad La Dolfina first finalist of the 133rd Hurlingham Open
The dream team crushed Las Monjitas by 12 goals in Friday's semifinal at the AAP grounds in Pilar, described as a "historic thrashing" that underlined their status as team to beat this season. Their opponent will be decided Saturday, when Ellerstina Indios Chapaleufú faces La Hache. The Hurlingham final, which opened the Triple Crown on Tuesday, September 22, is scheduled for Saturday, October 3
Explosive debut opens the Triple Crown season
The 2026 edition of the world's most coveted polo trophy kicked off Tuesday, September 22, with La Natividad La Dolfinadelivering a statement win over La Aguada in their opening outing at the 133rd Hurlingham Open
Ellerstina grind into the semifinals
Ellerstina Indios Chapaleufú — the Pieres and Heguy combination — overcame a patchy performance to beat Don Ercole and reach the last four of the Hurlingham Open, keeping their Triple Crown title hopes alive
La Hache, the 34-goal "crazy idea," is one win from the final
The Ulloa and Panelo project La Hache, at 34 goals of handicap, dispatched 33-goal Híper Polo 19-10 and now faces Ellerstina Indios Chapaleufú for a place in the final — a remarkable run for the season's most unexpected high-goal venture
Doble Corona qualifying underway ahead of Tortugas and Palermo
With Hurlingham stealing the headlines, LA NACION reported that La Irenita and Ellerstina won their opening matches in the Doble Corona classification, the route that feeds the Tortugas Open and December's Argentine Open at Palermo
Local view
LA NACION framed the season opener as "the dream of the Triple Crown" beginning at Hurlingham, spotlighting Poroto Cambiaso as a key figure of the frontrunner side. Página|12 reported La Natividad La Dolfina as first finalist, noting Saturday's Ellerstina–La Hache decider.
Context & numbers
- Cloning services for elite polo horses exceed US$80,000 per embryo, per Ámbito's economics of the Open
- A base polo horse can fetch around US$10,000 at public auction, rising to US$100,000 for top specimens
- Argentina exported roughly 1,700 polo and silla argentino horses last year, supporting jobs for aspiring players and petiseros along the value chain
On the radar
- Hurlingham Open final scheduled for Saturday, October 3 at Hurlingham Club
- La Ensenada reached the Copa Drysdale definition, per Prensa Polo — a trophy race worth watching alongside the main draws
- The gene-editing debate continues after polo officials moved to ban genetically enhanced ponies earlier in 2026 — expect renewed scrutiny as the Triple Crown and horse sales season peaks
- No fresh cloning-lawsuit developments in the past week; the Reuters gene-edited horses thread from August remains the live regulatory question heading into Palermo
This content was collected, curated, and summarized entirely by AI — including how and what to gather. It may contain inaccuracies. Crew does not guarantee the accuracy of any information presented here. Always verify facts on your own before acting on them. Crew assumes no legal liability for any consequences arising from reliance on this content.
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