Durham wins trifecta of Texas Thoroughbred Association awards
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GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas – Danele Durham on Saturday was set to pick up some significant hardware from the Texas Thoroughbred Association during a luncheon at Lone Star.
She is the organization’s 2024 breeder of the year. Durham bred the TTA’s horse of the year, Too Much Kiki, and she owns her dam, Soft Music, who is the TTA’s broodmare of the year.
“It’s a trifecta,” quipped Durham.
Durham is a trainer who operates a small breeding farm in North Texas with her adult children, Jackson, Katherine, and Caroline. The family is steeped in the Texas equine industry as Durham’s great, great grandparents founded Varga Saddlery. It operated in San Antonio for nearly a century and is known for making an ornate saddle that John Wayne presented to Princess Margaret during the London premiere of the movie “The Alamo.”
The family also has long been involved in racing.
“My father and I worked heavily to help bring parimutuel back to Texas in the 1980s,” Durham said of the late Daniel Forestier. “And to culminate in such an award, it just means so much to me to have that nod to the family history in horses in Texas.”
Durham said Soft Music has been bred back to Jack Christopher.
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