There was no grand design early in life that led Tom Durant to become one of the most well known names in Thoroughbred horse racing.  It was to a far greater degree a combination of good-natured sibling rivalry, honesty beyond reproach and a fierce competitiveness that belies Tom’s laidback personality. Some know Tom Durant as a man with a keen sense of vision, others simply know Tom as man who has a knack of making the right decisions at the right time, and sticking with them.   Above all, Tom Durant is a devout family man, married to wife Susan since 1978.  Tom and Susan have four children, Hagen, Bently, Garner and Stormy; and six grandchildren; two boys and four girls.  Family is by far the most important thing to Tom and his wife Susan, who encourage all of their children and grandchildren to be the best at everything they do, and pursue their dreams and passions in life.   An uncompromising work ethic was passed on to Tom from his parents, who started the family business, a wrecking yard behind the family home. From that wrecking yard, Tom’s father, Julian Durant, a man with a third grade education founded the Durant Automobile Business.   Tom purchased his first dealership from his father in 1972 after graduating from Texas Tech. Tom admits that he got into the car business to outrun his brother Jerry, who also owned a dealership. Tom Durant’s success in the car business has been nothing short of remarkable. Classic Chevrolet has been the #1 Volume Chevrolet dealership in the nation for the better part of a decade and Tom Durant now owns 21 dealerships, and has recently been named Chairman of the Texas Auto Dealer Association. 
 
Tom’s passion for the car business is equally matched by his passion for horse racing.  Tom and his brother Jerry have been around horses all of their lives. And while Jerry was heavily involved in cutting horses, Tom decided to get into the racing part of the horse business. When Jerry started competing in cutting, Tom went to a few of the competitions, “but it was just too slow for me,” he says.  He told Jerry  “I would rather stand at the finish line to watch which horse would win than wait for a judge to tell me.”  Tom’s foray into horse racing began when a customer enticed him to purchase a thoroughbred mare that was bred to a quarter horse for $100,000.  “The mare had a filly by her side out of Pie in the Sky. Six months later, “I sold that filly for $125,000. I thought this horse business was too easy.”
 
Tom soon discovered that the horse racing business wasn’t easy, but quickly made a name for himself in the quarter horse racing society. After 10 years of success on the quarter horse side, Tom was ready for a new challenge. He moved to thoroughbred racing in 1997 and owns Classic Racing Stables just outside of Granbury.   Tom set the record for number of wins at Lone Star Park and holds the title as the All-Time Leading Owner at Lone Star Park as well.  In addition to running at Lone Star Tom competes extensively at Churchill Downs and Keeneland Park in Kentucky. Everyone who knows Tom, from either the car business or the horse racing side, describes Tom as “in it to win it”. He knows what good horses are and he knows how to give them everything they need to put them in a position to win. He understands the animals, the athletes and the ingredients it takes – talent, the mind, the heart, and the desire. A hands-on owner, Tom knows how to evaluate a horse and get them to the spot they need to be. He’s patient, and he’s confident.  He knows exactly what stage each horse is in and allows them to develop into a potential champion, but he’s also realistic.  He knows a having a champion happens few and far between. His biggest asset is that he strives to go higher and instills that desire in to push yourself to the next level in everyone who works for him.  He also gives his people the tools they need to do their job and doesn’t micro manage, but he expects results.  Since 2000 Tom Durant, a multiple graded stakes winning owner has had 2368 starts with 503 firsts, 371 seconds and 321 thirds for a combined earnings of $11,143,954.  But Tom is not in this business not for the financial investment opportunity, as some owners are. He’s passionate about horses and he’s in it for the competitiveness.  Tom’s vision for his personal life, his automobile business and horse racing is simple…
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”Be the best at everything you do.”