Trainer Matthew Sims experienced the biggest success so far in his young career Oct. 19 when Brunacini, a 28-1 longshot, pulled off the upset against a deep cast in the $259,000 Perryville Stakes (G3) at Keeneland. It was the first graded win in the 34-year-old's career, which only started at the beginning of 2023.
"It was a neat milestone—to have that in under two years of training on my own," Sims said. "It took a lot of luck, a great team, great support from clients, and fellow horsemen. I'm very blessed to have the opportunity to showcase what my team and myself can do. It's the biggest stage in the world almost."
The big stage Sims was referring to is Keeneland, known for its highly competitive world-class racing in April and October. Keeneland has become a special place to the Sims family. His father, Philip, has been stabled at Keeneland for nearly two decades and earned both his grade 1 victories to date there: the 2009 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup (G1T) with Hot Cha Cha and 2014 Spinster Stakes (G1) with Don't Tell Sophia.
Matthew Sims was an assistant during both horses' careers and, now that he's on his own, shares a barn on the Keeneland backstretch with his dad.
"For me to notch that first graded stakes (at Keeneland), I wouldn't want to do it anywhere else," Sims said. "I was able to do it here in front of a phenomenal crowd, family, friends, and people I see every day. That's extra special."
Sims has developed a deep relationship over the years with the Keeneland staff, saying he wished that they all could have joined him in the winner's circle celebration. Brunacini also has long ties to Keeneland as the track's head outrider, Robin Riesenbeck, used to gallop the colt's granddam.
"She brought the horse back to the winner's circle crying," Sims said. "Everybody for that horse has been affiliated together for so long."
One of those longtime relationships is with Brunacini's owner and breeder, Emilie Fojan. She was a trainer herself from 2002-18 and was based in in a barn adjacent to Sims' parents at The Thoroughbred Center in Lexington when Sims was a kid riding the stable pony around the barn. Now Sims has turned those long-term relationships into clients in his blossoming career.
"Great clients have a lot to do with it; you can't do it without clients and friends helping you along the way," Sims said. "(Fojan) said, 'I'm going to give you a really nice horse. A yearling, he's going to be something special.'"
That special yearling was Brunacini, a son of Dortmund out of the winning Wilburn mare Our Conquistadora. Fojan bred Brunacini and Our Conquistadora. She named the colt in honor of George Brunacini, her fiance and partner in the Thoroughbred business, who died in a plane crash leaving Lexington's Blue Grass Airport in 2006.
COLLINS: Brunacini Beats Book'em Danno in Perryville Shocker
Sims is grateful to have owners such as Fojan who trust his judgment and are patient while allowing him to develop the horse.
"You might get to the winner's circle in a month, you might get there in six months, it's hard to tell," Sims said. "They are creatures that take time; each horse is a different individual."
Brunacini was one of those horses, taking a long time to mentally focus on his job. However, Sims was willing to work on Brunacini's schedule and not force too much on the young colt too early, an approach he learned from his father.
"If you want to make it work, you got to give your horse a fair opportunity," Sims said. "That's my style, I learned it from my father. You give every horse a fair opportunity, you have to."
Neither Sims nor his father has received the flashy pedigrees worth millions of dollars at a yearling auction that some of the game's top trainers welcome year after year, but their hard work and horsemanship have allowed them to even the playing field on multiple occasions.
Don't Tell Sophia was by Congaree out of the winning, grade 3-placed Valid Expectations mare Lost Expectations. The dam's only other foal of note prior to Don't Tell Sophia was Summer Song, a multiple stakes winner in Canada who earned $336,981. However, the father/son duo was able to turn Don't Tell Sophia into a grade 1-winning millionaire who ran second in the 2014 Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1) at Santa Anita Park.
"Don't Tell Sophia is a prime example. Talk about horses that don't have much pedigree," Sims said. "The mare produced a couple horses but Congaree wasn't the most flashy sire. That's the biggest lesson: Dedication and hard work eventually pay off."
That lesson was coming true before his eyes ahead of Brunacini's July 28 debut at Ellis Park over seven furlongs. In the month leading up to it, the colt was beginning to train as Rojan predicted: something special.
"When you're around enough good horses, you can tell," Sims said. "We had a lot of confidence in that first race that he was going to run well."
Brunacini won by 2 1/4 lengths and entered his second start, a Sept. 19 Churchill Downs allowance race, as the 5-2 favorite. Racing 1 1/16 miles and two turns for the first time, the colt ran greenly and lost focus on the lead. Perhaps distracted by the finish line's lights as the sun was setting on the Twilight Thursday card, Brunacini was caught late by four horses and defeated by a half-length. He then re-broke and galloped out ahead of the field. Despite losing, it gave Sims the confidence needed to take the leap into graded company.
"I knew he would need that race and I knew the third start was going to be the race where he would be able to run his best," Sims said. "This horse trains differently, those good horses show up. I knew it was time to take that shot here at home."
Sims entered the Perryville and was surprised to find himself as the second also-eligible in a field that drew much tougher than most years. Seeing the presence of grade 1 winners Book'em Danno and Locked as well as Knightsbridge, who had won his two career starts by 19 1/2 lengths, gave Sims confidence that some dropouts would occur.
Those scratches came, one of them being Locked, and Sims found himself with the opportunity to earn a breakthrough victory.
"I went into the (Perryville) with confidence, you would have thought I was the even-money favorite. If I draw in, I'm winning," Sims said. "I usually don't have that confidence, it's more 'We'll see how it goes.' "
The confidence was rewarded as Brunacini held off the late charge of Book'em Danno by a neck and established himself as a horse to watch.
"Moving forward, the biggest thing is going to be the distance and how he develops from here," Sims said. "He came out of the race great. It looks like he's ready to fire back at any time."
Next on the radar is the $250,000 Cherokee Mile going one turn at Churchill Downs Dec. 1. Preferring to finish the season against 3-year-olds, Sims says the timing of the race fits well for a potential bid in the $300,000 Malibu Stakes (G1) at Santa Anita Dec. 26 should he run well at Churchill.
However, Sims does not see distance as being a limitation to Brunacini in the long term. He also floated the idea of running in the 1 1/8-mile $175,000 Tinsel Stakes at Oaklawn Park Dec. 28 as an alternative to the Malibu.
"The way Luan (Machado) rode him, I see how well he rated," Sims said. "Unlike his father, who always wanted to be on the lead, he's a horse that can rate really well, and he showed that. I think that can help him get the classic distances."
For now, Sims will soak in the moment of becoming a graded-stakes winning trainer, a title he now has in common with his dad. By stabling with his father at Keeneland, he can bounce his ideas and questions off a great racing mind.
"As a family operation that means a whole lot," Sims said. "He was with me on Saturday when Brunacini crossed the finish line. Moments like that when you both work together, side-by-side, and every day try to achieve sometimes the unexpected, it really means a lot to be there."
