Lovesick Blues: Another Sharp American Sprinter Seeking to Leave His Mark

The grey G1 winner at Del Mar will contest the Riyadh Dirt Sprint (G2) this Saturday, and trainer Librado Barocio is full of hope

Lovesick Blues winning the Bing Crosby Stakes in the United States / BENOIT PHOTO

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (Special for Turf Diario).— With a bruised ego following a trip filled with setbacks in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1), the seasoned American speedster Lovesick Blues will seek redemption this Saturday in the Riyadh Dirt Sprint (G2), contested over 1,200 meters with a $2 million purse at King Abdulaziz Racecourse.

Defending the colors of Mia Familia Racing Stable and trained by Librado Barocio, the son of Grazen is part of a powerful American trident that also includes the Santa Anita Sprint Championship (G2) winner, Imagination (Into Mischief), and the victor of the Elite Power Stakes (G3), Just Beat the Odds (Munnings).

With nine wins from 43 starts and earnings exceeding $830,000, the veteran grey is perhaps experiencing the best form of his career at age eight. His last outing, a sixth-place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint, left mixed feelings.

“After the Breeders’ Cup, I dreamed of coming to places like Saudi Arabia or Dubai,” Barocio shared. “He had a very complicated trip. He was squeezed, fell about ten lengths back, and then started making up ground. But he never found a clear path. He had to go inside and outside in the stretch and finished about six lengths back. He came back angry after the race.”

Far from being discouraged, the team doubled down. “I said: ‘Let’s aim for the big races and see what he can do.’ He has character, I like that. He has his quirks, but you have to know him. And I know he is doing very well.”

In his final tune-up, Lovesick Blues performed an open gallop over the Riyadh dirt track on Sunday, with Danny Ramsey in the irons.

“I was very pleased,” the trainer explained. “I like to give him an open gallop so he can feel the track and loosen his muscles. I liked how he did it and how he came out of the work, very alert. He’s special. Everything indicates it could be a great day.”

The horse’s story is one of perseverance. He climbed the ladder step by step from claiming ranks to allowance races, establishing himself as a respectable sprinter on the U.S. circuit. Now, on the world’s richest stage, he will have the opportunity to prove that he hasn't reached his ceiling yet.

“He’s ready,” Barocio concluded. “I won’t do much more. He’ll have easy days, a couple of jogs, and one last trip to the main track before the race. Before traveling, he put in excellent works, and Danny says he loves the surface. Now we just have to pray and keep dreaming.”

In a race that promises an intense pace and maximum demand, Lovesick Blues will try to transform November’s frustration into a Saudi coronation, backed by experience, temperament, and a determination that his trainer defines with one word: character.