The green and white team defeated La Dolfina Saudi in a vibrant final in Palermo in what was the Grand Final of the 130th HSBC Argentine Polo Open held in the city of Buenos Aires, Argentina. The world's top interclub competition in which 10 teams participated (with a minimum of 28 handicap and 40 goals) brought together the most important players in the world, including the 7 polo players with handicaps of 10 goals and 40 goals.

The great final was played in Palermo with a great game by Pablo Mac Donough and a very smooth teamwork by La Natividad. The winners defeated the multiple champion and great candidate, La Dolfina Saudí by 13-10. Great season of Jeta Castagnola, who in the final scored 4 goals that catapulted him as the top scorer of the Open (38). He was also the top scorer of the Hurlingham Open (28) and Tortugas Open (28), which added up to 94 goals to become the top scorer of the Triple Crown 2023.

It is the second title won by La Natividad in three consecutive finals (it had won in 2021) by the Jeta brothers and Barto Castagnola. Pablo Mac Donough won his 12th trophy in 16 finals at Palermo, while Facundo Pieres (who will again have 10 handicaps) won his fourth title, lifting the trophy after 11 years since the last one in 2012 with Ellerstina in 2012.

On the other hand, the best team of the century (since its creation in 2000, it has won 23 finals, 15 of them with the best player in the history of the sport, Adolfito Cambiaso), La Dolfina was left wanting in its 23rd final played at the Argentine polo field in the Argentine capital. 

On the other hand, there is also a winning team in the Argentine Women's Polo Open. Overo Z7 UAE defeated La Dolfina 17-14 and became the champion of the seventh Argentine Women's Polo Open presented by Cremas Caviahue.

The numbers of the great final

La Natividad: Facundo Pieres 9 (3 goals), Camilo Castagnola 10 (4, one penalty), Pablo Mac Donough 10 (3) and Bartolomé Castagnola (h) 10 (3). Total: 39.

La Dolfina Saudi: Adolfo Cambiaso (h) 10 (1), David Stirling (h) 10 (1), Adolfo Cambiaso (n) 10 (7, three penalties) and Juan M. Nero 10 (1). Total: 40.

Polo and history:

Polo is a sport that moves millions of dollars around the world in a close relationship between athletes, sponsors, science and preparation of horses in different parts of the world. It is not a mass sport due to the high costs involved in the practice of the sport.

With its origins, according to history books, in Persia (present-day Iran) in the 6th century B.C., for many decades t has had its epicenter in South America, specifically in Argentina, which by far is the leader of this sport, not only in titles but also in number of elite athletes (8 players with 10 handicaps after the title won by Facundo Pieres), in applied science (it is well known the improvement in the breeding of horses through biotechnology, including the cloning of horses), but also in teachers and care of animals, being a business that moves millions of dollars around the world.

A sport that silently moves millions:

A polo field needs between 20 and 30 thousand dollars a year, just for maintenance. As an example, the Argentine Polo Association has 14 fields.

An elite horse caretaker can earn 50,000 dollars.

The cloning of a horse is estimated at no less than 120 thousand dollars, plus the preparation of 7 or 8 years to turn it into an elite.

A horse that participates in the Argentine Open, multiplies its value 10 times and can be worth 150 thousand dollars (without talking about top of the range horses).

An advertiser pays between 200 thousand and one million dollars to sponsor Polo in the Argentine Open.

A sponsor of a top jersey can pay up to 700 thousand dollars.

A player can earn between 300 and 1.5 million dollars per season.

It is estimated that no less than 20 million dollars in sponsorship from sponsors in the Palermo Polo Open alone.