The Sporting Post is sad to relay the passing of one of KwaZulu-Natal and South Africa’s longest standing breeders, Willy Messenger of Bellwood Stud.
KZN Breeders report that, based in Nottingham Road and breeding horses since 1970 with his wife Jeanine, from a small stable of mares, Bellwood Stud won the 2002 KZN Breeding Achievement of the Year.
Willy Messenger
The farm produced many winners including Key of Destiny, the Equus Champion 3 year old and KZN Horse of the Year.
In 2004 Key of Destiny won the Equus Champion Sprinter of the Year. He was later exported and won in Dubai with trainer Mike De Kock.
The last horse bred by Willy Messenger retired in 2020. He was a 6-time winner named Bold Viking.
Our thoughts go out to the Messenger family in this very sad time.
