 In 1981 he switched to Thoroughbred flat racing and in 1982 moved to compete at New York area tracks.He earned his first Grade I victory in the 1985 Meadowlands Cup on board Bounding Basque.During his career, Davis won a number of premier races including the 1986 Washington, D.C. International Stakes, the 1994 Pimlico Special and Canadian International Stakes, as well as the 1998 Wood Memorial Stakes.