Caroline Simpson

 

 

Caroline Simpson has been with the TBA for 25 years and to be honest, we could not imagine a sale without her.  Generally the first faces you see when you arrive and still frantically running around long after most people have left, Caroline and her team are the shoemakers elves behind the scenes who keep everything ticking like clockwork. 

It requires a finger on the pulse, a hand on the phone and a smile behind the desk and year after year, the team are there to see us through.  We asked Caroline to give us a behind the scenes glimpse into how it all works.

What is your name?
Caroline Simpson

What is your star sign and birthdate?
Virgo – 18 September 1958

Where were you born and where did you grow up?
East London

Where do you live?
Lambton, Germiston near the TBA Complex

Favourite food?
Chicken

Favourite drink?
Tea

Favourite sport?
Cricket

Favourite holiday destination?
The UK where my son and grandson live.

Who is the one person that you would love to meet and why?
The Pope as he seems so humble and serene

Favourite author?
Dick Francis

Where did you go to school?
Clarendon Primary School and Girls High in Queenstown for High School.

What did you do once you completed schooling?
I went to the University of Life as my Father did not believe in after school education so myself and my 4 siblings were put to work once we had completed school.

Tell us about your introduction into horseracing?
I was employed at the TBA by the Marketing Manager, Vic Schafer to work on the Bloodline Million. After a few months Graeme Hawkins asked me to move across and work for him and the TBA Council. I was told by Graeme that I either loved and took an interest in the horse business or the door was wide open. I am a person that loves a challenge and from that day decided that I would make it my business to learn as much as I could from all the men and women around me and make the horse business a big part of my life. I am very fortunate to have been to the University of Hawkins, Kramer, Lloyd and I still apply the lessons daily that they taught me.

How long have you been at the TBA?
This year will be my 25th National Yearling Sale.

You are officially called a ‘Sales Manager’ but we see you doing all sorts of things – what does your job encompass and who makes up the rest of the team?
My job is made up of all aspects of making the sale function smoothly. I start on the National sale 6 months in advance with the entries, on-farm inspections and then the selections. The compilation of the catalogue and checking that all the pages are correct and the imposition is followed. I do the setting up of the temp boxes for the Mare Sale at Kleinplasie and the KZN Sale at Suncoast Casino which is a new task, but one which I find very challenging and often very stressful because you are not operating on your home turf. I do the organising of the Grade 1 Awards for Breeders at the Emperors Palace every year prior to the sale along with the Grooms Soccer tournament which takes place the Saturday prior to the National Sale.

What were some of the important lessons you learnt early on?
I have found that you need to be asking the men/women in the business with huge amounts of knowledge their advice when you are unsure of something and they will always help you and in that way you gain more knowledge.

We’re gearing up for the sales and the TBA must be a hive of activity. Give us a snapshot of a day in your life during the sales?
I love this time of the year as the complex comes alive. I start the day by answering all my e-mails and doing what needs to be done. I then update the website with withdrawals and any updates received from the previous days racing. The phone never stops when the sale is drawing closer so the day goes by so quickly. I am also busy compiling the Cape Mare and Weanling Catalogue and doing the imposition. As the sale draws closer the transport arrangements with all my young drivers takes a bit of time until they get to know all the visitors and their requirements.

When do the first horses arrive and when do the last horses leave?
The first horses arrived last weekend (12/13 April) and the last horses leave 4 days after the sale.

What are the biggest challenges of a sale?
Making sure that everything runs smoothly and both vendors and buyers are happy. The bid spotting and floor staff team need to be in place. I think the biggest challenge is to make sure that you are prepared and have a back-up plan in case of problems that may arise.

What are the most commonly asked questions?
Which one in the boxes outside do you think will be the next champion!

How does one enter a horse for the National Sales?
We send out entry forms in September of each year and from the entry forms we prepare on-farm inspections. John Kramer and Kerry Jack then go around the country scoring the yearlings on their physical conformation out of 10.

How does one set a reserve price for the National Sales?
Each Vendor determines the value of their yearling and fills in a reserve price form at the back of the rostrum.

How does one register for a buyer’s card?
Buyers Card Application Form is available in the catalogue which needs to be completed and send to Jan Naude/Marge in the Finance Department.

What happens once you’ve bought a horse?
Once you’ve registered as a buyer, Jan will have set your credit limit and issued you with an official laminated buyer’s card. Once a horse has been knocked down to you, the vendor roll clerk will present you with the vendor role, you sign it with your buyer’s card number and the vendor roll clerk will issue you with a release slip. The next step is to take the release slip to accounts department. There you will sign a release document and the accounts team will hand you the horse’s passport a release certificate for your chosen transporter. After running into proplems a few problems a few years ago, I introduced a system whereby all the horses are checked before they leave the sales grounds. All horses are microchipped, so we have a team in place with a microchip scanner and every horse is scanned and logged onto our transport sheet before leaving the sales grounds. We keep records for each horse of which transport company they left with, which truck, etc.

Who recruits / coordinates all the bid spotters?
I do the recruitment and co-ordination of all the bid spotters/floor staff and I am very lucky to have a wonderful team who are reliable and supportive.

You must have seen a number of changes over the years – what do you think has changed most?
The market has become selective and there is an increased demand at the upper level but weaker demand in the middle and lower levels.

There must have been a lot of funny stories over the years – any that stand out particularly?
Yes one does – Goodwood Showgrounds (Grand West Casino today) we held a Cape Yearling Sale and a man bid for a horse and when the vendor roll clerk went to sign him up he ran out of the middle door of the big selling hall and was never seen again. I would say he got sales fright.

Any particularly big sale lots or individuals (horse or human!) that stick in the memory?
Yes one very special big lot. In 2012 we sold a Dynasty colt out of Rustic Magic for David Southey of Southford Stud from Colesberg – Lot 190. The bidding started climbing and I have never experienced such a feeling of joy for one of my vendors as I felt for David when the colt fetched R1 Million Rand. You meet special people in your life and David is one of those people who you only wish good things as a nicer gentleman you will never meet.

Is there anyone in the team that you could not do without and why?
The Sale is a team effort and could not happen without the dedication and loyalty of the Yard Staff who work long hours at this time of the year. My permanent staff members are all long standing staff members and know the drill. I have a wonderful temporary staff team which are called the “Golden Oldies” and I could not imagine going into sales battle without them. The GO consist of Pauline, Fiona, Betty and Maryna. I also have a group of University Students who are drivers, barmen etc who work with the utmost energy and dedication and I have found myself very sad when they graduate and move on in their chosen professions.