On Thursday morning, the polo community were greeted with sad news, as the passing of 77-year-old Claire Janet Tomlinson (neé Lucas), a true polo icon, was announced. Tomlinson was a legend in Britain, and renown in the international polo community. She was considered one of the best players in history, reaching 5-goals. In 1979, she became the was the first woman to claim the Queen’s Cup. She was a renowned horse breeder, and the coach of the national English team. She has left a a mark in polo that will remain forever.

Mark, Claire’s youngest son, shared the following: “Mom reached a 5-goal handicap in the 1980s, something no one else achieved at the time. She was the highest rated player in history. She was also the first woman to play 22-goal in England, at a time when a woman was not allowed to compete in high goal. She had to get a letter signed by all the professionals of the time to make sure she was able to play, and the rule had to be changed.” 

He adds: “She also was one of the first ever coaches. She was a pioneer in several things by doing remarkable things for a woman by that time – she claimed the Queen’s Cup, the Royal Windsor Cup. She had strong bonds with Argentina. Many Argentine players spent numerous British seasons at home – Milo Fernández Araujo, Juni Crotto, Pepe Araya, Sergio Boudou, Martín Aguerre among others. Around 40 years ago, she bought a farm in 25 de Mayo, in Argentina. Argentina had a special place in her heart; she spoke like an Argentinian and that’s why we speak like Argentinians as well. She was one of the few successful horse breeders in England. She started 40 years ago, with Argentinian bloodlines.”

Claire, whose children stayed by her bedside until the last minute, received many tributes on social media. Among them, a remarkable message from Milo Fernández Araujo (@milofaraujo): “I will always remember you warmly; I will never forget all you said to me, all you taught me, and how mad you got at me in the woods to make me a better rider. We wrote many nice stories together, some sad, some enjoyable. We won many cups, we lost many as well, but the time we shared with you, Luke, Mark, Emma and Simon was wonderful. We all have someone who gives us a hand in life when we start something, and you were the first person who trusted me and gave me my first opportunity in Europe. That’s when we started a friendship that grew stronger, you were the mother I didn’t have and I am thankful to you for it. I will miss you a lot, Vieja, so this is not a farewell, just see you soon.”