June 2021 Polo Players' Edition - Family Business

By Lucas Noel • Photos by Sergio Llamera

Cuatro Vientos, led by Santiago Chavanne, won the Copa República Argentina by beating Argentine Polo Association President Eduardo Novillo Astrada’s La Aguada team in the final. The duel for the title turned out to be an attractive match between fathers and sons of two experienced elite players.

Since 1929, the Copa República Argentina has always had an enormous and magnificent tradition of presentations by the most important families of Argentine polo. One of only two tournaments in the world played without a handicap limit (Grand Champions host the 0- to 40-goal $100,000 World Cup), handicaps are given in order to compensate for the inequalities between some foursomes, making the matches in this tournament extremely attractive. This edition was clearly no exception with 16 teams of between 8 and 25 goals representing 11 circuits.

Teams from 0 to 40 goals participate, with the clubs disputing a playoff in the different circuits that make up the polo map in Argentina. The winners of these circuits qualify to play the final stage at the Argentine Polo Association venues in Pilar and Palermo.

Divided into four brackets, 16 foursomes fight to be the top of their bracket, thus earning a place in the semifinals. The tournament, which always features talented amateur players from the interior of the country, also saw familiar high-goal talent in David ‘Pelon’ Stirling, Guillermo Terrera, Santiago Toccalino, Iñaki Laprida, Jerónimo del Carril, Alfredo Bigatti, Martín Podestá Jr., Diego Araya and Eduardo Novilla Astrada.

Cuatro Vientos, with 19 goals, shared a bracket with Betania (21), MediaLuna (8) and Venado Tuerto (19). With two wins and a draw, it advanced to the semifinals, knowing the opponent it would face was the favorite: Sauveterre with 10-goal Stirling, the multi-champion with La Dolfina. And Pelón was not alone. The Uruguayan-born player was backed by the experienced 8-goaler Ignacio Toccalino, along with Santiago Stirling, Pelón’s brother with an important international career, and Tomás Gagliardi.

But Chavanne is a born leader. With the motivation of sharing the side with his 13-year-old son Lorenzo, together with Facundo Llosa (6) and Santiago Zubiaurre (5), he prepared to give the great blow of the competition. Cuatro Vientos managed the six-goal difference they started with due to their lower handicap and withstood the pressure until celebrating the final, 15-14, earning them the right to define the competition at Campo Argentino de Palermo.

In the title match, the team of Eduardo Novillo Astrada and his son Cruz were waiting for them. La Aguada, completed with Matías Machado (5) and Alfredo Bigatti (8), advanced to the final after overcoming the six-goal handicap it gave Trenque Lauquen-Thai Polo in its semifinal to win 14-11.

On the decisive day, the team of Santiago and Lorenzo Chavanne started with a 5-0 advantage on the scoreboard due to the handicap difference with their rival and the truth is, in the first chukker it seemed that it was not going to last long. La Aguada, thanks to a great afternoon by Alfredo Bigatti, came out with everything to reduce that disparity and quickly scored two goals.

However, from the third period, Cuatro Vientos got its game in order. They recovered the calmness and style that had carried them to the final, adjusted the gears of their defense and, more importantly, began to score to manage a margin of at least three goals. The team from Open Door thus saw its

comeback cut short and became more uncomfortable with the development of the game.

The clear improvement of Cuatro Vientos allowed it to reach the final chukker ahead, 11-8. With the great skill of its four members, including the young Lorenzo, it matched La Aguada’s only goal in the last period and was worthy of the huge final celebration on the legendary Field 1 at Palermo.

In this way, Cuatro Vientos registered its name for the first time in this traditional tournament. Santiago Chavanne revived the success he obtained as champion in 1996 with the La Martina team, accompanied by Juan Piombo, Marcial Socas and none other than Adolfo Cambiaso.

Meanwhile, his son Lorenzo, born on Dec. 4, 2007, won the title at the age of 13 years, 3 months and 28 days; only 15 days older than Camilo Castagnola, born Dec. 13, 2002, who was champion on March 26, 2016 at the age of 13 years, 3 months and 13 days.

The experience of Santiago Chavanne at Back and a hierarchy greater than the handicap of his three teammates certified a superlative championship of Cuatro Vientos and a well-deserved title in a new victory for father and son in the Copa República Argentina.

In addition to getting his name engraved on the Republica Cup trophy, Santiago Chavanne’s horse Ve Ocho Feliz, who he played, won the Jaime Amorin trophy for Best Playing Pony in the final as well as the best Argentine bred horse, an award presented by the Argentine Polo Pony Breeders Association.

La Aguada was presented with the Independence Cup trophy for runner-up.

The main subsidiary trophy, the Diario La Nación Cup went to Coronel Suárez, after it defeated Ivi Maray-Black Hound, 14-11. Ivi Maray-Black Hound began with a six-goal handicap but Coronel Suárez quickly began chipping away at the difference, leveling the score at 8-8 at the half. Ivi Maray-Black Hound kept within one goal in the fourth and two in the fifth, but couldn’t make up the difference.

The second subsidiary, the Canada Cup, went to the 8-goal MediaLuna, which began with a whopping 14-goal handicap against the 22-goal ArelauquenPatagonia. The scrappy MediaLuna team held off the stronger Arelauquen, that worked hard to overcome the headstart. Whittling away at the difference, Arelauquen made progress each chukker, but not enough. The closest it came was six goals, but by then time had run out and MediaLuna celebrated the victory. •