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Simms Davison is the proud owner of the Mapperley Stud that's been in his family for the past two generations. The rolling hills at Mapperley Stud have been home to many greats including 10-time Gr. 1 winner Sangster, 6-time Gr. 1 winner Dundeel 3-time Gr. 1 winner Sangster, Gr 1 winner Thee Auld Floozie, and many more. And once again they will be presenting their coveted yearlings at Karaka 2021.
Here, Davison speaks to The Impact about their spectacular draft, their top-performing graduate, sire picks and what is a legacy for him.
Q: You have another draft of well-bred yearlings for Karaka 2021, could you tell our readers about your draft highlights?
A: Lot 356 is out of the stakes producing mare Dosh, making him a half-brother to Sacred Park the winner of Gr.2 Wellington Stakes and Gr.3 ARC Bonecrusher Stakes. He's an outstanding individual, one of that powerful athletic colt that catches you straight away. He's built in the mould of his old man, you can tell he's a son of Contributor. He's got a tremendous presence about him, people will definitely notice him at the sale.
Another highlight in the Mapperley Stud draft is Lot 363, a stunning Contributer filly out of the Gr.2 Sir Tristam Fillies Classic winner Due Diligence. She is a stunning filly, a lovely moving athletic type. She's been one of my favourites since she was a foal, I see her as a real thousand guineas type of horse.
Lot 300 is another Contributer filly that has been popular, out of Cape Mapperley who is a half-sister to the Gr.1 Two Thousand Guineas winner Magic Cape. She's a wonderfully athletic filly with a tremendous walk on her. She will be another one to keep an eye out for at the sale.
We also have a lovely brown colt out of the first season sire Time Test, a son of the legendary Dubawi. He is catalogued as Lot 272, and we have been impressed with him right throughout the prep.
Q: Please tell us about your top-performing graduate from this sale?
A: We have had many great horses come through this sale but the one that sticks out in recent memory is Brutal. A son of champion O'Reilly, he was sold to the team at Hawkes Racing for $220,000 and went onto win 4 stakes races including the famous Gr.1 Doncaster Handicap at Randwick. That win cemented his duties at stud where he now stands at Newgate Farm in Australia.
Rattan is another star graduate to come through one of our drafts at this sale. The son of Savabeel is one of the top sprinters in Hong Kong and has won 7 races up there including the Gr.2 HKJC Sprint Cup. He looks to be in fine form this preparation running a great race for 3rd in the Gr.1 Hong Kong Sprint last month.
Q: Which sires do you expect to see do well in the 2021 edition of the Karaka Yearling Sale?
A: Our resident sire Contributor (dual Gr.1 winning son of High Chaparral) has started off his career wonderfully well. His eldest are three-year-olds and he is leaving some impressive winners in both Australia and New Zealand. His strike rate for stakes horses to runners is right up there, so we expect him to be very popular up at the sale. We are taking up 6 yearlings this year, 4 in the Book 1 sale and another 2 in Book 2. They are lovely individuals and they have been well received during our on-farm parades, so we have high hopes for them.
Q: What are the other sales you will be attending over the next few months?
A: We have a stunning Contributor colt out of the well-performed mare Mapmaker heading to the Inglis Classic sale in Sydney. Unfortunately due to Covid-19 restrictions, we won't be able to attend but we look forward to presenting him over there. He's a lovely strong athletic colt with a fantastic temperament. Contributor's best son Lion's Roar is trained by John O'Shea out of Sydney so he is very much on their radar. Lion's Roar has won 3 of his 5 starts and was narrowly beaten in the Gr.1 Spring Champion Stakes behind star filly Montefilia. Speaking with John, he has high aspirations with him in the Autumn with races like the Gr.1 Randwick and Rosehill Guineas his likely target.
Q: What is the next milestone for you? What can we expect from you in the future?
A: We have a good thing going at Mapperley, we have some exciting young stallions on our roster and we look forward to seeing their offspring excel on the track over the coming years. Mapperley is famous for it's big rolling hills and we believe it is the perfect environment to give our young horses an athletic head start. We don’t overpopulate the stud and provide the space for the horses to develop naturally and we definitely see the benefits in the long run. Its proved successful with stars like So You Think, Dundeel and Brutal coming off the farm so we will stick to the recipe that works.
Q: And finally coming considering Mapperley Stud has been your family for three generations now, how do you define legacy and passing that on to the next generation?
A: I have aspirations of turning Mapperley into an industry leader. I would like to continue adding to its legacy and one day pass it on to my two sons and let them carry on the family business.