Oh, brother

This page Eduardo Novillo Astrada Opposite Brothers, from left, Ignacio, Miguel, Eduardo and Alejandro

This season sees four Novillo Astrada siblings play together for the first time in five years. Carolina Beresford talks to the eldest, Eduardo, about their Triple Crown comeback

Eduardo Novillo Astrada might just be the embodiment of the ideal polo player. Not only has he won every major polo title around the world, but his surname epitomises the family values that make the sport so attractive.

He is the perfect ambassador. Having finished a tough high-goal season in England with Apes Hill, Novillo Astrada and his team La Aguada Las Monjitas ICBC are now preparing for the most important championship in polo: the Argentine Triple Crown.

The Novillo Astrada family is one of the most prestigious dynasties in polo history. Many of the titles claimed by Eduardo were won alongside his brothers. Their highest achievement came in 2003, when Javier, Ignacio, Miguel and Eduardo won the Argentine Triple Crown with their team La Aguada – one of the best polo organisations in the world – making them the first team of four brothers to win the title.

In 2012, the family decided to split La Aguada into two. ‘We originally split because we were five brothers and Negro [Alejandro], who’s the youngest, was always left out,’ explains Eduardo. ‘Being the eldest, I decided to go with Negro and start a new team.’ With the help of Colombian polo enthusiast Camilo Bautista, Eduardo and Alejandro formed La Aguada Las Monjitas ICBC, while Javier, Miguel and Ignacio continued playing for La Aguada.

In 2014, Javier passed away after a long battle with a terminal illness. The following year, Miguel, then a 10-goal player, decided to have a year out from playing, taking on the role of team coach instead. But this season, the Novillo Astrada brothers will once again unite and play the Argentine Triple Crown. ‘It’s something that was always going to happen,’ states Eduardo. ‘Before Javier died, he asked us to play together again as a team, but we thought it was better to wait for things to settle down and give ourselves some time to get organised.’

It’s been five years since four Novillo Astrada brothers have played together, and this year’s line-up will be particularly special. ‘I’ve played a lot with Negro over the past few years, but we four have never played a tournament together.’

The Argentine Triple Crown is the most competitive polo tournament in the world, with two teams, La Dolfina and Ellerstina, leading the way. Can La Aguada rival the greats once again? ‘Our goal is to have fun and play well,’ says Eduardo. ‘We’re not aiming to win the Open or any tournament; we just want to enjoy playing together. It’s going to be great because we’ll all be based in the same place. We can share horses between us and practices are going to be held at our family farm, so it’s a lot simpler. We’re all quite hot-headed and sometimes lose our tempers playing, but there are no hard feelings when the game is over.

We haven’t quite figured out our positions, but we will probably start with Negro in attack, as no 1, Nacho [Ignacio] at the back, Miguel at no 3 and me at no 2. That was our set-up when we played with Javier.’

Beyond his skills on the field, Eduardo is known globally for his role as an ambassador for Jaeger-LeCoultre. ‘I’ve been working with them for 10 years now. It all began when I was invited to a party in Paris to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the famous Reverso watch. The company was not yet involved with polo and they called me to see how we could work together. They’d been working with Clare Milford Haven the year before. This year, we’re celebrating 85 years of the Reverso, so it’s very special.’

The brand has stormed into the world of polo, cultivating its relationship with the sport over the past few years. This season, it sponsored the Gold Cup, the most prestigious polo tournament in Europe, for a second time.

‘Jaeger-LeCoultre’s timepieces are very elegant and traditional, and it holds values that I respect and share,’ affirms Eduardo. ‘Everyone who works there is young and very united, because the spirit of the brand is all about teamwork, and that’s what I like most.’

The company has presented the 9-goal player with a personalised La Aguada Reverso – a model that retraces the highlights of his career to date. As the family team prepares to make its Triple Crown comeback, a new Reverso will surely be needed to mark the year four brothers reclaimed the world polo stage.