Palm Beach 2026: Camilo and Barto open the year at the CV Whitney Cup
The polo year has more than one beginning. In Argentina it starts with the summer tournaments in La Pampa, and only weeks later the calendar moves to Palm Beach, where the CV Whitney Cup becomes the first major challenge of the American circuit. For La Natividad this tournament always carries special meaning. It is the moment when Camilo Jeta Castagnola and Bartolomé Barto Castagnola return to compete at the highest international level and open a new chapter of the season.
Why the Whitney Cup matters
The CV Whitney Cup is the gateway to the United States Triple Crown and one of the most respected tournaments in Wellington. It is not a warmup event, it is real competition from the first throw in. The strongest organizations of the moment meet on the same fields, and the tournament quickly shows who arrives with form, horses, and teams ready to challenge for every title.
The 2026 schedule confirms that level of demand. The tournament is played through a bracket system with matches on February 13, 17, and 20, semifinals on February 25 and 26, and the final on Sunday March 1. Two intense weeks of polo, with games every few days and no space to relax.
Camilo and Barto’s teams
Camilo Castagnola competes this edition with La Dolfina Tamera, while Barto Castagnola plays for Coca Cola. Two different organizations, two styles of polo, and the same ambition to win. Palm Beach requires a faster and more open game than Argentina, with wide fields and constant rhythm, and both brothers have already shown they adapt naturally to that environment.
Each of them arrives supported by their teammates within these high goal structures, combinations designed to sustain intensity throughout the tournament. In the Whitney Cup, partnerships are as important as individual talent, and both Camilo and Barto join projects built around balance between experience, new horses, and players familiar with the North American circuit.
The road through the tournament
The official debut will be on Friday February 13 with three matches opening the brackets. Park Place faces La Dolfina Tamera, Dutta Corp meets Clearwater, and Pilot plays Coca Cola. On Tuesday February 17 the competition continues with the next round between winners and losers, and on Friday February 20 the places for the semifinals will be defined.
Wednesday February 25 and Thursday February 26 will host the CV Whitney Cup semifinals, while the Retama Cup will be played in parallel at the same venue. Everything leads to Sunday March 1, with the two finals that close the first major event of the year in Palm Beach.
What is being tested
For Camilo and Barto the Whitney Cup is the first real test of 2026. It is the moment to try new horses, adjust team understanding, and measure strength against the best in the world. The transition from Argentina to the United States is not only a change of country, it is a different way of playing, with new timings and more physical matches.
It is also a meeting point between seasons. Many of the protagonists who competed in Palermo meet again in Wellington only weeks later. Stories continue and levels are compared almost without pause, as if polo had no borders.
La Natividad on the international stage
Seeing Camilo and Barto in Palm Beach confirms the global dimension of La Natividad. The project does not belong to a single calendar, it expands wherever high goal polo is played. The Whitney Cup is part of that journey, one more chapter in a season that is only beginning and will travel through many destinations.
On Sunday March 1 the champion will be crowned, but for La Natividad the value of the tournament goes beyond the result. It is presence, continuity, and competition on the stages where world polo is defined.
Follow La Natividad Polo to stay close to Camilo and Barto throughout the Palm Beach season and discover our collection inspired by the international polo circuit.
