In 2005 they could have done it, but blamed their inexperience. They could have done it in 2007, but for a setback in overtime. Or in the 2009 edition, until what seemed to be an 11-goal Adolfo Cambiaso appeared. The 2010 season was the year of Ellerstina Etiqueta Negra. After its success at Tortugas and Hurlingham, it was waiting patiently to win the Triple Crown. In a season characterized by changes in team line-ups, the only team that kept the 40-goal handicap was the favorite to lift the most desirable cup in the polo world on the hallowed polo field in Palermo. And it didn’t fail.

The action of the Bicentennial’s 117th Argentine Open Movistar finally started on Saturday, November 20. And it didn’t start in the best way for La Dolfina Peugeot, the defending champion. Just 16 seconds into play on Field No. 2, Sao José Audi was up on the scoreboard thanks to Nicolás Pieres. And the first chukker ended 3-1 for the team that qualified in the classification tournament. The game was matched 7-7 in the first half. There after, the all-road Cambiaso came alive, scoring 14 goals to lead his team to an 18-12 win in a match that marked the debut of umpire Martin Goti in Palermo following the retirement of Daniel Boudou, who was dissatisfied with the Argentine Association’s authorities.

In the second round, at Palermo’s Cathedral, there was an unexpected beating from Pilará Piaget against Chapa Uno Hope Funds. Piaget, wearing blue jerseys, was a 33-goal team playing against the 35-goal Chapa team, and was missing its leader, Marcos Heguy, who was still out with an injured right shoulder. But on the field, it was a real whirlwind. In 28 minutes it had an unusual 11-3 advantage over a much more experienced team at this level. And it maintained the strength to reach the final bell with a 19-9 score in its favor. The afternoon MVP was Agustín Merlos, author of 10 goals.

A day later, the favored Zeta (Ellerstina) debuted. And it showed a new facet it had not shown in previous games: defense. The team from General Rodriguez defeated Alegría Air France by a 15-6 score. Its ability to protect its own goal was such that the first goal from the Alegría team, led by the talented 10-goal Mariano Aguerre, didn’t come until 30 minutes and 40 seconds into the game, while Zeta had already racked up eight goals. Zeta’s Facundo Pieres showed his power, making 13 goals.

In the second match of the day, La Aguada BMW took no pity on Indios Chapaleufú II Cardón, beating it 20-10 in a match that was distorted in the last chukker when members of the defeated team collectively received four yellow cards. The Novillo Astradas were efficient in their attack, using a classic style for the victory.

The following weekend opened with Pilará’s victory over Sao José on Field 2 in an open and entertaining match in which a Mercosur team of two Argentines (the cousins Nicolás and Pablo Pieres), a Brazilian (Rodrigo Ribeiro de Andrade) and Chilean (Jaime García Huidobro) dominated until the fourth chukker, when Nico Pieres suffered a blow to his left shoulder. Taking advantage of his physical decline, better horses and a fully charged Agustin Merlos who tallied 11 goals, Pilará won 18-12.

In the Cathedral, La Dolfina had to put its best weapons in action against Chapa Uno, playing its strongest match of the season. La Dolfina eventually succeeded 16- 13, only because Cambiaso was inspired with 11 goals.

Just 24 hours later, Ellerstina made clear who the strongest team was. A patched Chapa II team, with Joaquin Pittaluga and South African Ignatius du Plessis replacing the suspended Nachi and Ruso Heguy, withstood the pace until the third chukker. With the game leveled at 4-4, the quality of play and better horses of the black-shirted Ellerstina team was decisive. A gust of 11 goals from Zeta, compared to one from Chapa II, in a matter of 22 minutes defined the course. In the end, the score was 19-9.

Earlier, La Aguada had to sweat more than necessary against Alegría, which dominated the match until the fourth chukker. But in the fifth set, when the Novillo Astradas doubled its best horses, the score went from 7-8 to 12-8 in its favor. The decisive final result was 15-12.

On Saturday, December 4 the first finalist was defined. The day opened with the success of Chapa Uno over Sao José by a misleading 16-12 score. The younger Sao José team led 12-11 with less than five minutes until the final bell. In that short time, the Bautista Heguy-led Chapa Uno quartet made five goals and took an undeserved victory.

Then, La Dolfina made clear the statement made previously by its Back, Lolo Castagnola: “In the season we care just about two games: Palermo’s semifinal and final.” If his team came out staggering in the beginning, at the appointed time it made clear it was the defending champion.

In the initial two chukkers, Cambiaso dismantled Pilará’s illusions with a lethal 9-1 advantage. With the win all but assured, the team eased up, saving its horses and thinking about the future. Adolfito added a dozen goals for a total of 37 in three games.

“It doesn’t matter how, but we always [stay in] to the end,” said Cambiaso after securing his team’s place in the final for the 10th time since 2000.

The next day, it was the last performance of Alberto Pedro Heguy’s three children playing together with the same colors after 16 seasons. That week, Nachi had formalized his move to Ellerstina in 2011, so the 19-16 victory over Alegría left a particularly bittersweet taste for he and his brothers. “I will very much miss not having them at my side,” declared the thrilled No. 2, who scored three goals in his farewell match with the team that has won the Open four times.

Then it was time to determine the other finalist. A rather dull Ellerstina defeated La Aguada 14-11. The Novillo Astradas didn’t seem to miss the injured Javier, replaced by his younger brother Alexander, and they managed to complicate the game for the Zeta, which still managed to unlock the task between the fifth and sixth chukkers, when it doubled its best horses and scored a decisive four goals.

On Saturday, December 11, an unprecedented moment happened during the final in Palermo, the fifth between Ellerstina and La Dolfina. As never before, the action was suspended during the first chukker when a tropical storm hit the Argentine capital. Like in a boxing bout, they played almost a round (3:17), permitting both contenders enough time to show their weapons. Ellerstina imposed its speed in the first two throw-ins and made fast attacks defined by Gonzalito Pieres. Lolo Castagnola responded with La Dolfina’s punchiness and talent and ended up getting a free hit a few yards from the target posts, which was converted into a goal by Adolfito. Suddenly there was a deluge of rain and the umpires suspended the match with the score 2-1 in favor of Ellerstina.

“If they stop the game now, let’s not play anymore. Since now we are the champions,” joked the older Pieres.

More concerned, on the other side, Cambiaso recognized the postponement was a blessing for his team. “Luckily, it rained a little. We started out sluggish, it was almost a little help.”

The next day, the sun shone allowing the action to be completed. La Dolfina came out like a tornado and finished the remainder of the first chukker up 3-2. But with a huge effort from Gonzalito and a great job from Juan Martin Nero, the well-designed Zeta recovered and returned to command the top spot up 7-5 at the end of the third. Cambiaso and Pelón Stirling matched a couple of long distance shots from over 70 yards, and some errors by the men in black again allowed the trend to change in La Dolfina’s favor. So, going into the break after the fifth period, the defending champion was in command by a narrow 10-8.

It was quite unfair. We dominated the game but they made goals. Coach Alejandro Agote told us to play without looking at the score. And it worked,” Pablo Mac Donough said later.

In the sixth, with a flurry of goals, Ellerstina regained control of the game, 12- 10, and did not relinquish it again. Defending Cambiaso with two players to avoid the scoring drives he is known for (he was best scorer with seven goals, a meager amount for his standard) and being accurate on each journey to the goal, the General Rodriguez men knew how to control the game and their nerves, avoiding the extra chukker, that until then had meant their demise.

The last bell declared Ellerstina the winner with a final score of 14-13. The win meant the team had finally achieved its dream, the Triple Crown win, which the Pieres’ father had achieved with a younger Cambiaso in 1994. Thus, this quartet joined the mythical formations of Coronel Suarez, Santa Ana and La Aguada, the last quartet to achieve the Triple Crown, in 2003.

The party was complete for the Pieres family because earlier in the week, Cecilia, the youngest daughter, had led Ellerstina to triumph in the Chapa Uno tournament, one of the leading women’s competitions of the season.

We had to win and we did it. It was an obligation to the [members of the team] because next year we will not be together and it would be a shame to close this cycle without the Triple Crown. I thank Juanma and Pablo for everything they gave to us. Now [Facundo and I] will try to defend [the win] next year with [brother] Nico and Nachi Heguy,” said Gonzalito, author of six goals.

Facundo, who also scored six goals, stood on the same podium full of tears of joy.

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED

The conquest of the Bicentennial’s 117th Argentine Open Movistar with the 14-13 victory over La Dolfina Peugeot still was living in Gonzalito Pieres’ hackneyed smile. The celebration of the victory, which included an orchestra, much dancing and even a fire truck, was alive in the man who was one week away from celebrating his 28th birthday with a memorable birthday gift. His team, Ellerstina Etiqueta Negra, joined the select group of winners of the Triple Crown, like his father Gonzalo Sr. had done with a young Adolfito Cambiaso in 1994. Other winners include Coronel Suarez, Santa Ana and the last winner, La Aguada, in 2003.

“I’m on a cloud. Winning this way was a golden closing to the season. We knew it was the last chance for this group to get the Triple Crown. We had already been very close in other years, but this was our year.

“We could not lose because we had a very good season winning the Tortugas and Hurlingham and [La Dolfina] saved its year with a just a victory. We wanted to show that we didn’t get cold feet, but it would be sad to lose. We didn’t have any option but win Palermo,” he said after agreeing wholeheartedly to speaking with POLO Players’ Edition at the Ellerstina field in General Rodríguez, 35 miles northwest of Buenos Aires.

PPE: Can you say mission accomplished?

GP: Yeah, sure. The main goal of the season was to win the Triple Crown. As the year progressed, we were getting closer. It was always a dream. I always knew the opportunity would come. I thought that in 2005 we were ready to win, but it was taken from us, then in 2007 we lost again in the final. We had to learn how to win the finals, we were fine but it was not a given. And last year we went out just for nothing. We wanted to say goodbye to Juan Martin Nero and my cousin Pablo Mac Donough in the best way. At the awards ceremony I had mixed feelings. I was living a great joy, but I realized I would not share it again with the same team. In the last three years we made a good chemistry, which was developed on the field. If you do the math it is clear that we were not wrong: we played nine tournaments, we won seven.

PPE: What was the most significant change to finally attaining that desirable tournament trio?

GP: In the defeats you learn a lot, but with the victories you don’t. Having had these setbacks was not a nice time but helped us to mature and I think it served us well. We remained faithful to our game, classic and open, and we learned to listen to those who know more than us.

PPE: What did you need to do to win?

GP: Think more, and in the moments when the game is at its crucial point, to just calm down. In additional chukkers, you cannot play as you have in the past chukkers because if you make a mistake it can cost you the game. You should be as cold as possible. Luckily, this time we defined it in regulation time.

PPE: What was the key to winning without going into overtime?

GP: We defended Adolfito Cambiaso very well, in pairs, forcing him to shoot from far away. The tactic was a gamble. At one point, he found a hole, but most times during the match, he didn’t. And we didn’t lose our minds when we were down on the scoreboard. In the fourth chukker we deserved to be three or four goals up and suddenly we were matched. And they went two goals up in the fifth. But we stuck to our game plan. Our coach, Alejandro Agote, told us not to look at the scoreboard and to keep playing our style so things would work themselves out. And we learned to follow him. There was that maturity that we did not have in other years.

PPE: When did you say to yourself, “Now I am champion”?

GP: They had the ball with just over half-a-minute left. Cambiaso began to make his play, taking the ball from his goal to our goal on his own. Then I saw Juanma Nero take him and move him to the boards. I began to celebrate because I knew Adolfito could not get away from him.

PPE: You were very excited in the festivities, weren’t you?

GP: Yes, I lost a few tears. We, the Pieres, are quite sensitive people (laughs). I cry in anger if I lose and also cry in great joy. This year was very nice for me. I had my daughter, Violet, and won the Triple Crown.

PPE: Now you can watch as an equal to your dad, who won the Triple Crown in 1994.

GP: Yes. Jokingly I look at the Old Man and I say: “I also have the Triple, you know.” Still, he is the happiest of us all. Ellerstina is his project and we, his sons, tried our hardest to [keep the momentum going]. What my brothers and I really want is to enjoy him as much as possible. He is a fanatic about horses and always wants to help us. He knows how to choose the best horses, advises us, and is always outstanding.

PPE: What does your father think about his three sons being together in the 2011 season?

GP: He is almost crazy because Nicolás (19 years old) is joining me and Facundo (24). We do not know where on the team Nico and Nachi Heguy will play. We don’t want to change positions but we have to consider a new structure. There is enough time to plan this, though. Now, we want to celebrate. Winning the three most important tournaments in the world is not something that happens every day.