By Sue Finley
Lois Green, the co-owner of DJ Stables with her husband Len, passed away Wednesday morning, May 31, according to her husband. She was 84.
Green graduated from Rutgers University with a degree in Biology. She was a trustee of the Leonard and Lois Green Charitable Foundation.
“Lois was an avid reader of the TDN and was a truly involved horse person,” said Len Green in an email. “Her specialty was the vet work and breeding. She was manager of DJ Stable in the early years. Under her leadership we won two Parx ownership awards and are in their Hall of Fame.”
Wonder Wheel | Coady
Fifteen hundred of the stable's now 2,500 wins came under Lois Green's management, along with seven leading owner titles at different tracks, and the stable's first Grade I winner, Do It With Style, purchased by her son, Jon, for $23,000 at Fasig-Tipton. Len Green had told him he could go to $20,000, and told him to resell the horse; Lois vetoed that decision, and they kept the filly, who went on to win the Ashland at Keeneland.
Green was a certified genius, said Jon, and a MENSA member with an IQ of over 160. She completed a certification course at Cornell on how to assist mares with foaling, learned to fly an airplane, and could fix anything mechanical, he said.
“She was a strong advocate for safety and fair play,” said Len Green. “She named (two-year-old champion filly) Wonder Wheel after her favorite Coney Island ride. She was a credit to the game and will sorely be missed by all who knew her.”
Upon being named TOBA Owner of the Month in November, 2019, Lois was asked about the dynamics of operating a family stable. “Well, fortunately, we've learned how to discuss without arguing and come to conclusions that are the best for the horses and for each other,” she said at the time. “And obviously we don't always agree on everything, but having great trainers to work with and good therapists helps,” she said with a laugh. “Family businesses are always interesting.”
DJ Stables' longtime trainer, Mark Casse, was shaken by the news.
“Tina and I are heartbroken,” he said. “She was just the epitome of class and a lovely, lovely lady. Jon is obviously very involved in racing, as is Len, but I don't think a lot of people realized how much she loved horse racing. After we would win a big race–or any type of race, really–she would call me and we would go over the race in detail. I'm going to miss those calls. I'm crushed. I just wish we could have won the (Kentucky) Oaks this year for her. It's tough.”
Lois Green and Mark Casse | courtesy of the Green Group
Len and Lois Green were married for over 60 years.
She is survived by her children, Jon, the general manager of DJ Stables and his wife Michelle, her daughter Beth, her daughter Debbie and her husband Marty, and grandchildren Carly, Griffin, Robin, Wyatt and Kenny, as well as “adopted family members” Aron Yagoda and Karlene Bauer.
Services will be held Friday, June 2, from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. at Congregation B'nai Israel, 171 Ridge Road, Rumson, NJ.
Anyone wishing to make a contribution in her name should do so to New Vocations Racehorse Adoption Program, or to the New York Racetrack Chaplaincy.
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