Barocio Listens To Lovesick Blues And Wins The Bing Crosby Stakes

Forbes

4 days ago

Trainer Librado Barocio has a moment with Lovesick Blues after their victory in the Grade I $400,000 ... More Bing Crosby Stakes Saturday, July 26, 2025 at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club, Del Mar, CA. Benoit Photo
Never underscore the importance of the player-coach relationship. Communication is always a key, but the important thing is that both are driving on a two-way street. Yes, the final decision should always belong to the person with the line-up card, however input from the one in the trenches should never be discounted. With that in mind, there is one Thoroughbred trainer that is ecstatic since one of his stable stars bent his ear.
Librado Barocio is becoming a fixture on the California Thoroughbred racing scene. Having been in and out of the sport since taking out his training license in 1998, this Richmond, California native has enjoyed success primarily with California-bred horses running in the older division races. Having picked up his first graded stakes wins just last year, Barocio has enjoyed increased success since the calendar turned to 2025. As a student of the game, this conditioner that doubles as a film maker saw an opportunity with one of his hot horses and decided to take a swing in the grade 1 Bing Crosby Stakes at Del Mar on July 26.
Lovesick Blues is a seven-year-old son of Grazen that has become increasingly better with age. Always a hard-running horse, his forty career starts had yielded only eight wins but twenty six finishes in the top three. His last five starts had come on turf and that left many wondering why this veteran gladiator was willing to face the fastball that is a grade 1, Breeders' Cup win and you're in, six-furlong drive over the Del Mar dirt. Once the nine runners loaded and the gates opened, everyone else knew in just over one minute and eight seconds what Barocio had already heard in the days leading up to the race.
'He had been telling me he wanted to go back to the dirt', says Barocio. 'All his training said he was ready and deserved this kind of opportunity. He always runs hard and just has a heart of gold. His works were crying out for a start in a race like this and I am glad I listened.'
Mia Familia 's Lovesick Blues a jockey Geovanni Franco win the Grade I $400,000 Bing Crosby Stakes ... More Saturday, July 26, 2025 at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club, Del Mar, CA. Benoit Photo
Breaking alertly, Lovesick Blues rolled up the backstretch rating off a very solid early pace (21.78 opening quarter mile, 44.48 half mile). As the runners turned for home, the front-running Hejazi spurted clear. Getting the cue from his regular rider, Geovanni Franco, this California-bred swung outside and began an all-out assault on the front-runners. Moving with tremendous momentum, Lovesick Blues broke some hearts as he rolled past Hejazi inside the final furlong and won by a widening 1 ¾ lengths.
'This horse truly has been a blessing for our barn', says Barocio, who earned his first grade 1 victory as a trainer. 'He is proven on the grass and dirt. His versatility is amazing and he can win being out front or closing in as he did here. The Grazen offsprings seem to get better with age and he absolutely has improved as he has gotten older.'
Crossing the finish line at odds of 18-1, this seven-year-old gelding shook up the world in more ways than one. Yes, he rewarded his backers with a nice return, but also sent his conditioner into deep thought as now he has his first grade 1 winner and a spot for his ever Breeders' Cup starter in the 2025 Sprint, which will be run at Del Mar on November 1.
'We are likely to run him one more time before the Breeders' Cup', says Barocio. 'I will consult with a few veterans of the game before deciding exactly what our path will be. I listened to what my horse was telling me and I will continue to listen and look for wisdom as we prepare for the World Championships of Thoroughbred racing. Wow, t