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THE four-year-old gelding, Key Of Destiny, stole the show at the Annual Gold Circle KwaZulu-Natal Racing Chapter Awards dinner in Durban last week, taking the honours as the Champion Three-Year-Old Colt/Gelding and receiving the ultimate honour of Horse Of The Year. Key Of Destiny was also honoured at the Equus Awards and was named Horse Of The Year and Three-year-old Colt/Gelding of the Year at the recent KwaZulu-Natal Breeders Association Awards at Nottingham Road where his breeder, Willie Messenger of Bellwood Stud, received the Breeding Achievement Award. Sprinter Whacky Lad received two awards at last week's function, Champion Older Colt/Gelding and Champion Sprinter. For the very first time, the "backroom" personnel of the racing industry were honoured when the Groom Of The Year was named as Mlamlwa Fanyana, the man who cared for Key Of Destiny. Vodacom Durban July winning jockey, Kevin Shea, who had not yet returned from a well-earned Caribbean cruise holiday, was named Jockey of the Year while apprentice Chad Little, whose parents travelled down from Johannesburg for the occasion, received the award for the Apprentice Jockey of the Year. Colourful Ian Veltman, who compered the proceedings, was presented with Anita Akal's Special Award and the Ernie Duffield Memorial Trophy for the leading trainer in the Province was awarded to provincial champion trainer, Cyril Naidoo. The full list of awards is: Champion 2-year-old Filly: Summer Frolic Champion 2-year-old Colt/Gelding: Goyougoodthinggo Champion 3-year-old Filly: Empress of Oz Champion 4-year-old Colt/Gelding: Key Of Destiny Champion older Filly/Mare: Dancal Champion older Colt/Gelding: Whacky Lad Champion Sprinter: Whacky Lad Champion Stayer: Ship's Gossip Horse Of The Year: Key Of Destiny Owner of the Year: NR Loudon, HJ Clark, P Geldenhuys Jockey Of The Year: Kevin Shea Apprentice Jockey Of The Year: Chad Little Groom Of The Year: Mlamlwa Fanyana Anita Akal Special Award: Ian Veltman Ernie Duffield Memorial Trophy: Cyril Naidoo
KZN Training Achievement Award: Colin Lee |