This is a story about love and passion.
Stephanie and Kosta Hronis fell in love and were married in 2013. She had attended one race to that point. Kosta and his brother, Pete, had established their own racing stable in 2010, one that was on its way to national prominence.
Stephanie was soon swept up in the Hronis brothers' passion for the sport. The magnificence of Thoroughbreds, the tremendous care they received from West Coast-based trainer John Sadler and his staff, the excitement of the races, the thrill of victory all captivated her.
Now, she finds herself all in.
Among other endeavors, Hronis serves as a board member of the Thoroughbred Owners of California, the California Thoroughbred Horsemen's Foundation, The Jockey Club Safety Net Foundation, and the National Thoroughbred Racing Association Horse PAC.
In a cause that is particularly dear to her, she co-founded the Horse Racing Women's Association with Jodie Vella-Gregory in 2022 and became a driving force behind its growth.
Hronis said of her increasingly important role in the industry, "I wanted to be part of what helps it to move forward in any way I could."
The HRWA's website says of its purpose, "We're here for women to not only belong in racing but be empowered to lead it."
The association began with the Horse Racing Women's Summit at Santa Anita Park in 2022. "It was really exciting to see women from across the country and Canada showing up," Hronis recalled. "When you have a first-time event, you don't know, 'Are people going to be interested? Even though they have a ticket, are they going to show up?' They certainly did."
Amy Zimmerman, senior vice president at Santa Anita and an NBC producer, was among those who initially were skeptical of the HRWA.
"One of the concerns I had, I didn't want this to be feathers and frills. It's far too often people will say, 'Let's get some women together and we'll have a party, and we'll talk over nice hats,'" Zimmerman said. "There are things that need to be talked about, things of importance that need to be talked about. With Stephanie's leadership, they are talking about those things that are important."
Zimmerman credits Hronis, a former school guidance counselor, with the HRWA's growth to nearly 300 members. "I come at life sometimes cynically, and I always wonder, 'You can't really be this nice.' Stephanie is, indeed, just that nice. She wants to lift up everybody she meets, and she comes at it from such a genuine place of kindness. The Horse Racing Women's Association is a perfect example. She saw an opportunity there, and she's thrown her whole soul into it."
The initial summit was an eye-opener in the energy, enthusiasm, and determination that attendees brought.
"The interest was very strong," Hronis said, "and so we were 'OK, our all-volunteer organization, we've got some work cut out for us because this can't be a one-time event.'"
The HRWA will hold its fifth annual conference Oct. 12-14 in Lexington. Bobsledder Elana Meyers Taylor, an Olympic champion and six-time Olympic medalist, will be the keynote speaker. Cherie DeVaux, the first woman to train a Kentucky Derby (G1) winner in Golden Tempo, is expected to attend. So is Daisy Phipps Pulito, who oversees Phipps Stable and teamed with Vincent and Teresa Viola's St. Elias Stable in breeding and owning this year's Derby and Belmont Stakes (G1) winner. The conference will conclude with an afternoon of racing at Keeneland.
The emergence of DeVaux and Phipps Pulito provides encouraging signs for women eager to either break into racing or make their mark in a game that severely challenges everyone. Lindsay Schultz recently became the first female trainer to win the Haskell Stakes (G1) with 28-1 Baby Vino. Jena Antonucci broke barriers three years ago. She made history as the first woman to train the winner of a Triple Crown race when Arcangelo made a bold move along the rail to capture the 2023 Belmont Stakes.
"I think that there is progress, but there is room for improvement," Hronis said. "There are still women going through challenges, comments made to them or being ignored or being dismissed. I know that happens in some corners of the industry."
Sexual harassment is another issue to be confronted. "It still happens," Hronis said. "Can we write that off the landscape? No, I know that we can't. But we can work on doing better, men and women. Women, when they hear it, stand up for yourself."
Bill Nader, president and chief executive officer of the TOC, views the HRWA as an important element to create change.
"In many ways, (horse racing has been) a man's sport at a lot of levels—racing executives, horse owners. They are breaking down those barriers, and they are doing it systematically," he explained. "They are building and building and getting stronger, and it's great to see. Our sport is evolving, and this is a great example of that."
Hronis emphasized that the HRWA is not looking for opportunities to be handed to women simply because of their gender. "It's because they have earned their place," she said, knowing she has gained immense respect in a sport unfamiliar to her not that long ago.
