DEL MAR, Calif. – Lovesick Blues earned a fees-paid berth to the Breeders’ Cup Sprint at Del Mar on Nov. 1 with his late rally in Saturday’s Grade 1 Bing Crosby Stakes at Del Mar – with one caveat.
Lovesick Blues must be supplemented to the Breeders’ Cup program for $100,000 when pre-entries are due on Oct. 20.
It’s an investment owner and trainer Librado Barocio is preparing to make as of Sunday.
A little coaxing from his son, who has the same name, cinched the already likely approach, Barocio said on Sunday. Barocio’s son is part of the UCLA football coaching staff, and previously worked for the NFL’s Los Angeles Rams.
“His goal was winning the Super Bowl,” Barocio said. “He said, ‘Dad, you’re in the Breeders’ Cup. You’re going to the Super Bowl for racing.’ ”
Lovesick Blues was an unlikely winner of the $402,000 Bing Crosby Stakes until the top of the stretch on Saturday. Ridden by Geovanni Franco, Lovesick Blues rallied wide through the final three furlongs, closing from sixth of nine to win by 1 3/4 lengths as an 18-1 outsider.
The win gave the 62-year-old Barocio his second career stakes win, 14 months after Visually won the Grade 3 Senorita Stakes at 17-1 at Santa Anita in May 2024. On Saturday, Visually finished a fast-closing third at 64-1 in the $120,500 Daisycutter Handicap for fillies and mares on turf.
The milestone win in the Bing Crosby Stakes was a celebration for the Barocio family. The 7-year-old gelding is owned by Mia Familia Racing Stable, which Barocio describes as himself, “my wife, two daughters, my son, and the dog.”
Barocio began training in 1999 but never had more than six winners in a season until he paused his career in 2019 to work in the film industry. In the last 30 years, working as Lee Librado, Boracio has writing, directing, and producing credits, according to the Internet Movie Database (IMDb).
Barocio worked in film from 2019 to 2021 before returning to racing. He had a career-best 24 wins in 2023, and has 15 wins this year through Sunday.
Earlier in his career, he worked with the famous trainer Julio Canani, who had a top-class stable in Southern California that included three Breeders’ Cup winners, including Sweet Catomine, the champion 2-year-old filly of 2004.
Through the years, Barocio grew close to Canani and his longtime assistant, Miguel Delgado.
“I started working around them and I learned so much,” he said.
Canani left training in 2015 and died in 2021.
“He was such a good horseman,” Barocio recalled. “He knew what to do with a good horse and a bad horse.”
Lovesick Blues, a California-bred by Grazen, was bought privately by Barocio from owner and breeder Nick Alexander last winter. At the time, Barocio said he had his eye on another of Alexander’s stakes runners, Desmond Doss, but was advised Lovesick Blues was a better option.
“I love Lovesick Blues,” Barocio told Alexander.
Barocio inspected the gelding before the two men reached a private deal. Alexander greeted Barocio in the winner’s circle on Saturday.
“He gave me a bear hug,” Barocio said.
Sunday morning, Barocio was basking in the memory of Saturday while overseeing his 17-horse stable.
“I don’t think I slept,” he said. “I know I laid down. I got here at 4:30.
“It hasn’t sunk in.”
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