When the United Kingdom’s King Charles III presented the Cartier prize at the 2024 Cartier Queen’s Cup, he awarded it to none other than Mia Cambiaso—the then-21-year-old daughter of polo legend Adolfo Cambiaso. Mia was recognized as the most valuable player of the sub final match for the Cartier Trophy. Not a bad accolade for her debut season on the English polo circuit. To make the spoils that much sweeter, it was the first time in the history of the tournament that a father-daughter duo had played on the same team.
“We never even play together in practice because we fight and I talk back,” Mia says. “I get angry and I have a lot of character. My father and I are pretty similar in our moods, so we fight in everything on and off the field. We worried that this was going to be a challenge in the Queen’s Cup, but it worked out perfectly. Papa and I just wanted to enjoy the time together.”
Adolfo agrees. “It was a wonderful experience,” he says. “She is a bold and very intelligent athlete. I learn a lot from her on the field.”
If you take the M4 motorway and head about 40 minutes west of London, you’ll arrive in Windsor. It’s a somewhat bucolic if not altogether quaint area of southeast England, full of farms and polo fields. There you’ll find Lower Redstone Farm, the picturesque home of Nico San Román, head of operations for the Cambiasos’ La Dolfina business in the United Kingdom. It’s here that the notoriously private family has agreed to meet our crew.
We are greeted by a bevy of farm dogs before we settle in. Nico sips his morning mate, and his wife puts on a kettle of tea and coffee. We are hanging around the kitchen island with Mia’s younger brother, 19-year-old Poroto. Dressed in track pants and a sweatshirt, he has an easy confidence without an ounce of attitude or pretense. The conversation and jokes flow far easier than you might expect from such a young adult—especially one who currently reigns as the No. 1 polo player in the world, according to World Polo Tour rankings.
Mia is nestled at the kitchen table as she gets her hair and makeup done. More reserved than her brother, she lights up when talking about horses and quite enjoys her dressage lessons in Wellington.
“I like horses a lot more than polo,” she says. “This is my first year really playing as a professional and training every day.”
An entrepreneur in her own right, Mia (now 22) manages and runs her own breeding operation in Argentina. However, considering she’s already won the U.S. Open Women’s Polo Championship three times (in 2019, 2020, and 2022), there’s no telling just how far polo will take her now that she’s focused on competing.
As an ambassador for women’s polo, Mia’s goal is to make sure that women receive the same salaries and opportunities in the sport that men do. Her father is one of her biggest supporters in this quest.
“I believe women’s polo is going through a very positive moment, even though traditionally [polo] has had greater male participation,” Adolfo says. “I’ve had the privilege of playing alongside great players like Sunny Hale and many others. There are top-level players paving the way for younger generations. Personally, it’s wonderful to support Mia in her journey as a polo player and in her passion for breeding horses. It’s something we share, and that brings us even closer.”
Mia is excited to showcase the new apparel from her family’s La Dolfina lifestyle brand (which will launch a global e-commerce site from Miami in March) and the options she and her mother, María Vazquez, chose for today’s shoot.
María is the backbone of this Argentine family. Poroto even wears a simple gold chain with his mother’s name on it—a keepsake his grandmother gave to María and that she then gave to him as a good luck charm before the U.S. Open final.
“Our mom is always behind everyone and motivating them,” Mia says. “She is in the middle, balancing our relationships off the field.”
Marco Villasboa Lanusse, longtime manager of La Dolfina, says that because of their mother’s presence, the Cambiaso children (including youngest daughter Myla, who also plays) don’t have the assumed pressure of growing up in Adolfo’s shadow. “She manages their home life and makes sure they are always laughing and having fun,” he says.
The family lives at La Dolfina Polo Club in Cañuelas, Buenos Aires, but are often traveling the world for high-goal polo. For Poroto, high goal is all he knows. He’s the youngest player to ever win the Argentine Open, and he’s also won the Hurlingham Open, the USPA Gold Cup, and the English Gold Cup, just to name a few. While he’s won most of his titles playing alongside his father, 2024’s U.S. Open in Wellington was the first time he captained a team on his own while simultaneously competing against Adolfo.
It was an iconic moment in polo history: an epic battle of sibling teams La Dolfina versus Valiente, master versus protégé, father versus son. And the son won.
“The first time I played against him, I saw him as my father and it was really difficult,” Poroto says. “But when I started treating and playing against him like he was an opponent, then I did much better. He always tells me to just enjoy and play my game. That’s the way I go to the field: just trying to do my best and have fun.”
While Poroto may have had moments of self-doubt, Adolfo certainly had none about his son.
“Once we step onto the field, we see each other as just another player,” Adolfo says. “If we’re on opposing teams, I see him as a competitor and focus entirely on winning. Poroto already plays at a professional level, which demands my best when we’re on opposite sides. He plays hard and very well, improving more each time. So, even though he will always be my son, on the field he’s my equal, and we play accordingly. Seeing him reach such high goals at such a young age is admirable, and it’s all thanks to his character, perseverance, and effort. Like any parent, seeing your child achieve something like this fills you with pride. He truly deserves it.”
Netflix was on-site to document the angst-filled match for a new documentary series that follows elite polo players. Titled Polo, the show premiered in December and was produced by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. (This year, Disney+ will release a biography about Adolfo’s life called In the Name of Polo.)
And while Poroto and Mia represent a new generation of polo royalty, it will take some effort to shake the reputation of their father. Long hailed as the greatest polo player of all time, Adolfo has won every major tournament in the world, including the Hurlingham Open, U.S. Open, Gold Cup, and Queen’s Cup. He’s won the Argentine Open 18 times.
However, he’s eager to pass the torch to his children. Mia’s handicap was recently raised to 9 goals, and Poroto is the youngest player to ever be nominated for a 10-goal handicap—a distinction he received shortly after turning 17. It’s another title he’s usurped from his father, who had previously been the youngest player to reach 10 goals. Together, the family is helping to develop a La Dolfina polo academy in Windsor.
“Mia and Poroto have built an extraordinary career in polo at such a young age,” Adolfo says. “I see a very promising future for them because they have a deep passion for horses and for the sport—which is the most important driving force—and a determined, disciplined mindset when it comes to competing. For both of them, beyond the titles they win, I wish that they enjoy the journey.”
A behind-the-scenes look at our photo shoot with the Cambiasos:
Story Credits:
Shot by Palm Beach Illustrated on location at Lower Redstone Farm, Windsor, England
Clothing: La Dolfina Polo Lifestyle
Jewelry: Idalia
Hair and makeup: Lizzie Court
Production assistant: Stephanie Gates
Digital tech: Marek Puc
Photo and video intern: Anastasia Lioubin
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