Polo is a sport of tradition. Across its long history, many pieces of the game’s story have been changed, improved, and sometimes, forgotten. But much like divot stomping and post-match asados, the formation and continuation of polo family dynasties is one part of polo that has stood the test of time. Although there are many incredibly influential families across the world of polo, one of the most iconic and well-connected families to date is the Castagnola family.
Bartolomé ‘Lolo’ Castagnola
Born in the Buenos Aires province of Argentina, largely known as the polo capital of the world, Bartolomé ‘Lolo’ Castagnola began his polo career under the instruction of his father at a very young age. At 14, Bartolomé attended the La Martina Polo School, one of the oldest and most revered polo schools in the world, alongside Adolfo Cambiaso. The two quickly became friends and would later become family when Bartolomé married Cambiaso’s sister, Camila. Together, Bartolomé and Camila raised four children, Bartolomé Jr., Camilo, Benicio and Lola, who continue to keep polo alive in their family.
Across their closely connected careers, Cambiaso and Castagnola have won seven Palermo Opens, and have competed across the world with teams La Martina, Ellerstina, Outback and Dubai to win historic matches like the Campaña del Desierto Cup and the Renault Cup. After playing on a variety of teams, the two decided to establish the La Dolfina polo team in 2000.
The team was highly successful, winning more than ten Argentine Opens, multiple Hurlingham Opens, and the second team in history to win the Triple Crown of polo for two consecutive years. Castagnola eventually separated from La Dolfina and worked alongside his wife to create their own team, La Natividad in 2011. The team has since become a family enterprise with all four of the Castagnola children remaining closely involved in the team’s success.
Bartolomé Jr. ‘Barto’ and Camilo ‘Jeta’ Castagnola
Like their father, Barto and Jeta began playing polo at an early age. Today, they are known as two of the best players in the world with Barto achieving a ten goal handicap at the age of 20 and Jeta achieving ten goal status at 19. However, many of their successes were earned together.
The pair first gained the attention of the polo world when they won the Republica Cup with their father in 2016. Not long after, at the ages of 18 and 16, the brothers made their Argentine Open debut where Camilo would score his first goal within the first thirty seconds of the match. Since their debut, Camilo and Barto continue to collect impressive victories.
In 2019, the brothers won the Gold Cup final with team Dubai and the British Open Polo Championship in the UK. Their younger brother, Benicio, currently plays for team Dubai as well. The following year, the two won their first Queens Cup final at the Guards Polo Club. And in 2021, they upheld the growing reputation of the La Natividad polo team with their shocking victory in the Argentine Open where Barto won MVP. This season, the dynamic duo continues to compete and prove themselves as invaluable players on any team and every field. With Jeta Castagnola winning the 2024 British Open Polo Championship.
The Castagnola family continues to make their mark on the sport of polo with more to come from their entire family.