DANBIRD OFF TO A FLYING START

Danbird has kicked off the 2009/10 season with two winners from his first two starters: Ladybird Luck at Balaklava on 6 August and, on Wednesday (19 August), a brilliant win to Captain Clayton at Eagle Farm.

Hailing from the Twenty Four Karat mare, Princess by Night, Captain Clayton was bred by Neville Bell’s Kilto Park which purchased his dam in foal to Danbird from the Eliza Park draft at the 2006 Inglis March Thoroughbred Sale.

Indicative of the type, Captain Clayton was then sold to Paul Willetts for $62,000 at last year’s Magic Millions National Yearling Sale and placed in the stable of Robert Heathcote.

Connections had a huge opinion of the then 2YO when he stepped out on a slow track at Eagle Farm in April, but after racing greenly, the flashy bay finished back in the pack.

Not the case on Wednesday! The 3YO raced much more tractably this time around and while the margin wasn’t great, the performance certainly was.

A half brother to three winners including Doomben winner Watts Doing, Captain Clayton is from the family of South African Champion Sprinter Nhlavini.

Danbird is currently ranked equal sixth on the Second Season Sires’ chart by winners and, while it’s early days, trainers are reporting that both his crop of 2YOs and horses like stakes placed Royal Dalton are progressing well.