Amelia Green: horse racing’s rising star seeks first Saratoga victory

Peruse a program at this year’s Saratoga summer meet and you’ll likely see her name again and again under the trainers column: A. Green.

Stroll the Saratoga backstretch area and before long you’ll find her regal-looking insignia: the letters “AJG” on a white background bordered by what looks like a golden crown worn by Caesar.

It’s hard not to notice Amelia Green, who was an assistant trainer to Todd Pletcher for 7 years before striking out on her own at the end of 2024.

Green has quickly accumulated eight winners in 60 starts, including her first stakes race victory in May at Aqueduct. It’s been an impressive launch for Green, who appears to have the diehard, obsessive attitude present in many of the all-time greats.

“I don’t have any hobbies, this is all I do,” Green told World Horse Racing. “I work, I come to the barn, I eat, and I sleep. This is all I want to do with my life.”

The attitude seems to mirror that of her old boss Pletcher, who has won the Eclipse Award for Trainer of the Year eight times.

“He’s here every morning,” Green said of the trainer. “He’s the first one in the barn every morning, 7 days a week…This is his life. This is what he wants to do. I think that’s what makes him a great trainer and that’s what I aspire to be.”

For Green, greatness could start with her first win at Saratoga, which she’ll have plenty of opportunities to acquire as the summer meet nears its halfway point during Whitney week.

Green, who is 32, grew up in England, where she started riding a Shetland pony at a very young age. This instilled in her the desire to become a jockey. As a teenager, she worked with legendary trainer Sir Henry Cecil in Newmarket as an apprentice jockey. He sent her abroad to the Hollywood Park Racetrack, where she worked for John Sadler.

Enjoying the American way of life (or at least, the American way of horse racing), she came back to the U.S. the following winter, working for George Papaprodromou. He gave Green a chance to ride a race at Hollywood Park. Her horse won, and Green was convinced that the New World was where she wanted to be. She went back to England, acquired a five-year visa, and hasn’t returned to her homeland since.

It was Papaprodromou who helped Green get an assistant trainer license after she decided that the life of a jockey wasn’t for her. This led to a 7-year stint on the east coast with her mentor Pletcher.

“I’ve been very lucky that Todd’s been very supportive,” Green said. “He’s been great in helping prepare me as well as you can.”

With her own training operation, Green has quickly made waves, working with big names like Mike Repole and Dave Portnoy. She secured her first win for Repole with Slightly Busy, who won at Aqueduct on April 24.

Green’s career earnings are already approaching $700,000, and with eight horses racing during Whitney week at Saratoga, more money will surely be added to the pile.