Benjamín Panelo is one of the players who’s growing and improving the most, as well as winning many important tournaments. The 24-years old, who made his debut in the Triple Crown in Argentina with La Hache Cría & Polo, will be a part of the most coveted polo trophy this year, with Sol de Agosto, alongside Paquito de Narvaez, Facundo Sola and Juan Martín Zubía. In addition, he is getting remarkable achievements abroad – he already claimed the Dubai Silver Cup, with Dubai Wolvers and was raised to the same handicap as in Argentina, from 7 to 8.
On Saturday May 17, he had the best start possible in England, by winning the Prince of Wales Trophy, with Aureus, in a lineup that included his brother Tomás. He also was named MVP. PoloLine spoke to Benja after the winner, and he shared his experiences and expectations.
You had a great start in England, one of the most competitive seasons. How do you feel after winning your first high goal title?
Having won the Prince of Wales Trophy was terrific for us. This is a new team and it’s our first time playing high goal in England. In addition, it is the first time I play this level with my brother, out of Argentina. The Prince of Wales Trophy is sort of a warm up to get ready for the Queen’s Cup and the Gold Cup; but no matter that, once you are on the ground, we all want to win. It felt really great.
You had to bounce back, and in the last chukka you sealed the deal. What did you talk thoroghout the match in order to improve your game?
We were working very well during the league games; the only difficult contest was the one against Jehangiri. When we were behind, we found out that we needed to improve our concentration, to play and have fun. Each of us knew very well what to do. Besides, Calatagan is a remarkable team, and the fact that we were so close in the scoreboard gave us enough confidence to increase the gap; that’s why we won. The team worked very well.
How did you get ready for the season?
Well, we were already organised with Tomi. Obviously, he was more organised than me, but I guess I could get it right, have many horses and I am happy with my current string. I also found some good mares in England. Tomi brought some mares from Argentina and bought some in England. Sunjay Kapur and Mark Tomlinson helped us a great deal as well. We are focused on this season, beause we knew we had a good team, and we did our best in terms of horses.
And what can you tell us about Aureus participation in the Queen’s Cup?
To play the Queen’s Cup you have to be very confident, stay concentrated throroghout the six chukkas of play and obviously, have fun. There’s always pressure, of course, but you have to learn to use that pressure for good, to play as best as you can.
What are Aureus expectations for the remaining of the season in England?
I hope we can win something else. I think the team is good, we have the horses, and we have to go step by step, chukka by chukka. And with a little luck, we would be able to get the results we want. But we always have the dream to win.
Cover photo by TheArtOfPolo.