December-January 2015-2016 /
American Turf Magazine
39
West Coast Notebook
said, ‘Oh my god, I’ve got five horses!
This is crazy!’ And it just kind of snow-
balled. Now, we’ve won the California
horse owner award three years straight.
For what we’ve done in a short amount
time is a tribute to [trainer] John Sadler
and the people that he’s surrounded
us with.
Q:
What is your primary business?
A:
We grow table grapes and citrus.
We’re in the middle of the San Joaquin
Valley [in California]. The grapes are
all table grapes, so no wine. When you
go to the market and see grapes on the
store shelf, they’re probably from us or
one of our neighbors. We’re full-time
farmers.
Q:
How were you introduced to rac-
ing?
A:
My mom was born and raised in
Pasadena. We’d visit our grandparents,
who lived about two hours away, and
our family outing was to go to the race-
track. We’d pick a horse and get to bet
$1 a race. Me and my brother [Pete]
just fell in love with it.
As we got older, we ended up buy-
ing a weekend box at Santa Anita. We
probably had that box for about 10-15
years, then in 2010, I just turned to him
and said, ‘You know what? I think I’m
going to buy a horse.’ And he told me
that I was crazy and had no idea what
I was doing [laughs].
Q:
What steps did you follow to buy
your first racehorse?
A:
I did a lot of homework. It’s just
my nature to get buried in informa-
tion. I looked at partnerships and all
the different ways of trying to get into
this deal of acquiring horses. We were
fortunate enough that our usher at
Santa Anita was a friend of ours. He
told me not to do anything and to just
wait. When we came back the follow-
ing weekend, he introduced us to John
Sadler.
Honesty, I didn’t think that John
would mess around with a rookie. To
me, he was like Pat Riley of basketball.
Fortunately in 2010, just like the hous-
ing market had slowed down a little
bit, I think the horse deal had slowed
down a little bit, too, so there was a
little corner in his barn for us. After
interviewing each other, we decided
that we could do business together.
Q:
How involved is your family with
Hronis Racing?
A:
Brother Pete doesn’t frequent the
track a lot, but he supports me and cov-
ers for me when I’m gone from work
[laughs]. I’ve got three kids [aged 32,
29, 23] and my wife Stephanie comes
to all of the races with me. Without her
support, this would be impossible. She
loves it and loves going to the barns
in the morning. Because the wife is all
in, it makes it real easy for me when I
go buy some more horses and say that
we’re going to be at the track more
often.
I’m very lucky. And my kids enjoy
it, too. They’re happy because I’m 56
and have a hobby now. Before this, all I
did was work. My kids are thrilled that
I have something to do away from the
ranch. It’s actually made me younger.
Q:
Are you a fan of any other sports
besides racing?
A:
I love them all. I watch everything.
Football, basketball, baseball, etc.
Q:
What is the biggest challenge or
issue facing racing in California today?
Small field sizes seem to get a lot of
headlines.
A:
I think that it just comes down to
ownership. We’ve got to make sure that
the owners are kept happy and being
catered to--make sure that they’ve got
seats and passes, or whatever they need
to keep them happy to be involved in
the sport. Whether it’s a trophy after
the race...things of that nature. Stay
owner friendly. Pay attention to the
owners and listen to them. I think as we
get more owners, we’ll get more horses
and fill more races.
Q:
Any advice for anyone looking to
break into ownership?
A:
I think it’s really simple. You’ve
got to let the experts do their job. You
need to conduct a good interview and
find a trainer that you’re comfortable
with. Then, let him do his thing. Don’t
tell him what race to run in or what
jockey to put on the horse. Things like
that. Let your bloodstock agents do the
shopping and sit with your trainer and
discuss everything.
I think you’ve just got to trust the
pros that do this everyday, but have
some input, too. Have opinions and
ask questions. That’s the big thing
about John Sadler. He’s always push-
ing me to ask more questions and keep
learning. I think that’s the key. I think
that will keep you happy and make you
successful in this game.
Q:
What do you love most about
Thoroughbred racing?
A:
I guess it’s two-fold. The respect
for the athlete, which in this case, is the
horse. The way they’re made up and
how they work every morning and what
they have to do to prepare for a race.
Just to see all the details involved in
that along, with the thrill of the actual
race. That could be a $10,000 claimer
or the Gold Cup at Santa Anita. I think
the thrill of the actual race is the same
as they’re going around the track.
We just love the sport. I can’t afford
to buy the Los Angeles Lakers, so this
was my way of owning a fancy sports
franchise.
