Librado Barocio needs work on his post-race celebrations. He must learn to control his emotions.

The jubilant trainer lost all control when 18-1 Lovesick Blues earned an improbable triumph in the July 26 Bing Crosby Stakes at Del Mar to land an automatic berth in the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Sprint there on Nov. 1.

Barocio’s wife, Christine, became an unwitting victim of her overzealous husband after his 7-year-old California-bred gelding rallied from far back and blew past front-running Hejazi by 1 ¾ lengths.

Lovesick Blues rolls past Hejazi in Bing Crosby. (Eclipse Sportswire)

The 60-year-old conditioner celebrated his first Grade 1 triumph by scooping up his wife, twirling her at least two times and maybe three, and bear-hugging her to celebrate a moment to rival the births of their three children.

“Let me go!” she protested. “Let me go!”

“I think I was squeezing her too hard,” he said upon reflection.

All was forgiven, of course. Barocio could not be a more loving husband to his wife of 32 years or a more devoted father to Alyssa, 32; Librado II, 31; and Michela, 24. He races under My Familia Racing Stable and, as the name suggests, he is all about family. It meant everything to him that approximately 30 loved ones watched Lovesick Blues stage a dramatic rally to gain an opportunity to test the fastest of the fast at the Breeders’ Cup World Championships.

“To celebrate the journey with family, create memories, I get emotional because it was special,” Barocio said. “Everything I do is for my family.”

He fought to contain his emotions as he detailed the run of a lifetime. He had taught the quirky gelding to relax early after acquiring him from breeder Nick Alexander in a private purchase last autumn. The son of top California sire Grazen settled into a comfortable rhythm for regular rider Geovanni Franco while Hejazi, a $3.55 million purchase by Zedan Racing Stables trained by Hall of Famer Bob Baffert, motored comfortably in front.

Franco and Lovesick Blues after Bing Crosby win. (Eclipse Sportswire)

Barocio felt sure Lovesick Blues would fire in the six-furlong contest and he patiently waited for that charge.

“In the middle of the turn,” he said, “I could see, ‘Oh, God, he’s running.’ ”

The gelding began rapidly picking off opponents in the nine-horse field. The trainer thought he would run fourth, as he had in the Grade 3 Daytona Stakes on June 14 at Santa Anita in his previous start.

Franco, sure of the horsepower beneath him, swung his mount five wide. Barocio almost could not believe his eyes.

“I saw him accelerate and I said, ‘Oh, my gosh, he’s going to win!’ It was a surreal moment,” he recalled.

The kind of moment he thought might never happen for him because he typically oversees only 10 horses or so and is a man of varied interests. He majored in history at UCLA with the intention of attending law school. He wound up straying far from that. He has produced and/or directed approximately a dozen movies. He did particularly well and is best known for a 1997 boxing documentary entitled “Champions Forever: The Latin Legends.”

At the racetrack, Barocio is best known for his handiwork with older horses, most of them claimers.

Barocio shares a moment with Lovesick Blues. (BENOIT photo)

“He’s been very good at claiming old class horses and making them find some of that class again,” said Don Chatlos, a former trainer who has been a huge help as a mentor.

Barocio learned the importance of taking care of his body when he walked on as a safety at UCLA. Although injuries ultimately derailed his dream of playing in the NFL, he never forgot his playing experience.

“His approach is a little different because he was an athlete,” said Chatlos, now OXO Equine’s racing manager. “He played football at UCLA, so he approaches these horses as athletes.”

Barocio has a light touch with older runners. He goes above and beyond the norm when it comes to doing everything possible to keep them happy and sound. With Lovesick Blues, he allows the veteran to essentially do as he pleases.

“Everyone treats him with a lot of love,” the conditioner said. “He knows he’s the man.”

Lovesick Blues is at his best in the early morning, so he is always among the first to hit the track. He insists on having a pony accompany him or he is likely to stop and wait for a companion. He is frightened by quick movements, so everyone is very deliberate around him.

Whatever it takes to keep Lovesick Blues from having the blues. He has rewarded his new barn in a big way, winning twice in five starts with a second and a third for earnings of $338,000, all of that coming this season.

He had run exclusively on turf for Barocio before Franco suggested a move to dirt for the Bing Crosby. In his career, the gray or roan California-bred owns nine wins in 41 starts with 10 runner-up efforts and eight third-place finishes while banking $770,000.

Lovesick Blues sweeps to Bing Crosby victory. (BENOIT photo)

Barocio noted that Lovesick Blues has a history of running well when he is fresh. With that in mind, he plans to train him up to the Breeders' Cup Sprint. That race will be asking a lot of a runner who had never won a graded stakes before the Crosby.

Chatlos gives him a puncher’s chance.

“Everybody has got to ship there. You get to run out of your own stall. I think that’s an edge for Lovesick Blues,” he said. “He’s going to be there and he’s already got a win over the track.”

Barocio thinks his probable Sprint longshot has a shot.

“He’s an iron horse with a big heart,” he said.

If the almost unthinkable should happen, let Christine Barocio beware.