Kosta and Stephanie are the TOBA October Members of the Month.

Kosta Hronis has devoted himself to growing Hronis, Inc., which supplies table grapes and citrus. In the last decade, he has dedicated himself to cultivating talented racehorses, too. Kosta, his wife Stephanie, and his brother Pete recently had two extraordinary days at Del Mar. Hronis Racing’s Edgeway annexed the Aug. 20 Rancho Bernardo Handicap (G3). The next day, Tripoli won the TVG Pacific Classic Stakes (G1).

Kosta and Stephanie split their time between Delano and Pasadena, California. From a young age, Hronis enjoyed visiting his mother’s family in Pasadena. “We’d all go to the racetrack together,” he recalled. “It was just what we did as a family with our grandparents, adding, “That’s where we fell in love with it.”

“We weren’t old enough to bet,” he said, “but we’d go and watch, and then once we were old enough, then we became handicappers once we were of age. And we’d go on the weekends, and we’d always look forward to it.” In 2010, Kosta turned to Pete and said, “I think we should claim a racehorse.” His sibling was skeptical, but soon after, the brothers were introduced to trainer John Sadler. By the end of the year, the Hronises had three horses with Sadler; now, they have 60.

Their agricultural background might play a role in their success. Stephanie explained, “I think that what helps a lot is Kosta’s a farmer, and the patience that comes with being a farmer, it’s made him a good owner.” She added, “He’s trained me. I watched him and that patience that comes with a crop, and you can’t rush it, and sometimes you’ve got to wait months and months.”

A TOBA trustee, Stephanie serves on the board of directors of the Thoroughbred Owners of California (TOC), the Edwin J. Gregson Foundation board, and The Jockey Club Safety Net Foundation advisory board. Kosta joined the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club board of directors in 2018.

The Hronises have enlisted David Ingordo and Sadler to purchase top-quality stock. And they’ve been raking in the wins. In 2015, Stellar Wind earned an Eclipse Award as top sophomore filly, then duked it out with Beholder in a series of epic battles.

Accelerate took the 2018 Santa Anita Handicap (G1), then reeled off triumphs in the Gold Cup at Santa Anita Stakes (G1), $1 Million TVG Pacific Classic Stakes (G1), Awesome Again Stakes (G1), and Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1), en route to divisional honors. Hronis was thrilled to take home a trophy for the Classic, which he called the “Superbowl within the World Series.”

He commented, “For our family to be connected with John Sadler’s first Breeders’ Cup victory, that was icing on the cake. That was just a really, really special day and special event.” To Stephanie, he said sweetly, “I think we were more happy for John, huh, honey?”

In 2019, they sent out Higher Power for another Pacific Classic victory, Gift Box added another Santa Anita Handicap, and sprinter Cistron annexed the Bing Crosby Stakes (G1) and Kona Gold Stakes (G2). In 2020, the Hronises’ Combatant scored his big win in the Big ’Cap.

In 2021, Rock Your World, co-owned with Talla Racing, captured the April 3 RUNHAPPY Santa Anita Derby (G1) before briefly treading the Triple Crown trail. Although Rock Your World didn’t run his best race in the Run for the Roses, Derby Day didn’t leave a bitter taste in the Hronises’ mouth. On the undercard, their Flagstaff took the May 1 Churchill Downs Stakes presented by Ford (G1) on the Kentucky Derby undercard. Of Flagstaff’s tenacious victory, Hronis mused, “That may have been the best horse race I’ve ever seen.”

A few months later, Tripoli became the Hronises’ latest grade 1 winner. His success pays homage to the Hronises’ roots. Pete and Kostas’ father traced his lineage back to a Greek city of the same name. “And I know there’s lot of superstition on horse names and stuff,” Hronis said, “so I didn’t name it, per se, after my dad.” In a touching tribute, he placed Tripoli’s win photo next to a picture of his father.

Though Tripoli had previously won on turf, his Pacific Classic win wasn’t a complete upset in his mind. “He was on the improve,” Hronis recalled, “but you can tell on the gallop-out, he was going to enjoy the extra distance. I don’t think I was totally shocked with the win with Tripoli.” He added, “But it was definitely a blessing, having Tripoli on the racetrack and surprising a lot of people; that was a lot of fun. I know John was really thrilled, so it is always nice when the barn gets a reward like that.”