Lovesick Blues earns Breeders' Cup spot with 18-1 shocker in Bing Crosby

Not only did Lovesick Blues land a shocking 18-1 upset in Saturday’s Grade 1 Bing Crosby at Del Mar, but Lovesick Blues landed his trainer Librado Barocio his first Grade 1 victory.

“Miracles happen,” a speechless Barocio barely got out following the race.

It was also the first Grade 1 and graded stakes victory for Lovesick Blues, who had previously raced on turf in his last five starts. The 7-year-old gelding was making his 41st career start in the Bing Crosby. Lovesick Blues won a 1,000-yard race on dirt at Los Alamitos in his third career start, eventually won on synthetic, and has three turf victories on his record.

Lovesick Blues earned a fees-paid berth into the Breeders’ Cup Sprint with Saturday’s win. The Bing Crosby, a “Win and You’re In” race, is part of the Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series. The BC Sprint will be contested over six furlongs on Nov. 1 at Del Mar for the second straight year.

Hejazi got things his way early in the Bing Crosby, setting fractions of 21.78 for the opening quarter mile and 44.48 to the half. Hejazi appeared to be home free making the turn but Lovesick Blues, and jockey Geovanni Franco, began picking off horses with a sweeping wide move.

Like Lovesick Blues, the last two runnings of the Bing Crosby were won by a California-bred in The Chosen Vron.

Hejazi held second over favored World Record. Lovesick Blues ran the six furlongs in 1:08.74 and paid $39.20 for the victory.

Prior to loading into the gate, Lovesick Blues had odds around 45-1 and once loaded, his odds were 35-1. Once he crossed the finished line, his odds had dropped to 18-1. The late money is in large part due to the heavy influx of computer assisted wager (CAW) money that runs rampant in California racing.

San Diego Handicap

For a brief moment, the backers of Nysos got a little scare in the Grade 2 San Diego Handicap. It was in fact, just a brief moment, as Nysos, bet to the heavy 1-9 favorite, was trapped at the top of the stretch, before jockey Flavien Prat found room and won going away.

Nysos’s Bob Baffert-trained stablemate Mirahmadi led almost all the way, Nysos just behind him. The other horses in the six-horse field kept Nysos against the rail for most of the race, but a tiring Tarantino left a gap after the turn.

Behind the top two, Tarantino finished third, followed by Hall of Fame, Express Train, and Judge Miller. Midnight Mammoth scratched.

Nysos had never gone beyond one mile and proved the 1 1/16-mile distance of the San Diego proved to be no problem. Following the race, Baffert said the Pacific Classic would be next for Nysos. It’s likely that Nysos will have the Breeders’ Cup Classic as a long-term goal. Journalism, winner of the Preakness and Haskell, is possible for the Pacific Classic, though he’d be taking on older horses.

In race 4, Zedan Racing and Baffert unveiled their $3 million purchase Brant, who scored a 5 1/2-length win on debut. Brant shattered the record at the Ocala Breeders’ Sales in March. Prat rode Brant, who was .77 seconds off the 5 1/2-furlong track record at Del Mar, set by the Baffert-trained Speed Boat Beach.

The Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series: Win and You’re In is an international series of 93 stakes races in15 countries whose winners receive automatic starting positions and fees paid into a corresponding race at the Breeders’ Cup World Championships, held this year at Del Mar on Oct. 31 and Nov. 1.

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