Too Much Kiki returns in what could be big month for dam

The Texas Thoroughbred Association’s broodmare of the year Soft Music is set for a big February.

She is the dam of Too Much Kiki, the recently named TTA horse of the year who is set to launch her 4-year-old season in an allowance race Sunday at Sam Houston Race Park.

Later this month, Soft Music is scheduled to be bred to Annapolis, the son of War Front who was a Grade 1 winner of $1.5 million. He stands at Claiborne Farm. Soft Music is owned by Danele Durham, an Oaklawn-based trainer who has been named the TTA breeder of the year for 2024.

“I absolutely loved War Front and I really fell in love with Annapolis watching him run,” Durham said. “He was just an exceptional competitor, and I wanted to cross Soft Music with a son of War Front and, to me, Annapolis was the one to do that with.”

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Soft Music is a fairy-tale broodmare for Durham, as she purchased the daughter of the Kris S. stallion Action This Day for $1,700 during the Heritage Place Thoroughbred mixed sale in Oklahoma City in 2015. Soft Music was in foal to Too Much Bling at the time, and Durham later bred Soft Music back to the stallion in a mating that produced Too Much Kiki.

Durham, the breeder of Too Much Kiki, sold her at the TTA’s annual yearling sale in 2022, and she topped the auction at $100,000. Too Much Kiki was purchased by Mansfield Racing and is trained by Bret Calhoun. To date, the four-time stakes winner has earned $257,829.

Soft Music has a 2-year-old daughter of Cupid named Hot Springs Music, and she is being given her early training lessons in Arkansas with Ike Green. She’s scheduled to join Durham’s stable later this spring at Lone Star Park.

Soft Music also has a yearling colt by Street Strategy named Road Goesonforever. He was bred in Arkansas, as was Hot Springs Music.

Durham plans to race both individuals.

“Our purse structure is great here, and Oaklawn is typically almost a six-month meet,” Durham said. “I like to breed to run on this program.”

Too Much Kiki’s full sister, Crescendo Bling, has a 2-year-old colt by Cupid named Amore. He, too, was bred in Arkansas and will be raced by Durham.

“I hope they call him, ‘That’s Amore,’ as in, ‘Coming down the stretch, that’s Amore,” quipped Durham.

Crescendo Bling is being bred back to Charge It, and Cupids Music, a half-sister to Too Much Kiki, is going to Volatile, Durham said. Volatile is the sire of Southwest Stakes winner Speed King.

The three horses comprise her broodmare band.

◗ Too Much Bling is set to enter the Texas Horse Racing Hall of Fame on Oct. 4 at Lone Star Park, the Hall of Fame organization announced Wednesday.

Others set to join the prolific Texas stallion are Joe Peacock Sr. and Joe Peacock Jr. of Senor Buscador fame, Larry Craft, Bill Melson, Mike Rutherford, and the Quarter Horse Havana Goodtime.

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