It was a battle of the longshots down the stretch in the 65th edition of Monmouth Park’s Salvator Mile (gr. III) July 6. Raging Daoust, trained by Charles J. Carlesimo, Jr. won his first stakes test by a nose over pacesetter Big Sur (VIDEO) .
Fifteen-to-one-shot Big Sur, a 5-year-old son of Malibu Moon , took the lead and was readying for a gate-to-wire-victory when Raging Daoust, with Victor Santiago aboard, challenged and engaged Big Sur in a head-to-head drive, getting the nod in a photo finish.
“It all worked out,” said trainer Carlesimo. “He loves this place—and he never loses a head bob.”
At the break it was Big Sur and Lucy’s Bob Boy who got on the lead and set fractions of :23.4, :48.1, and1:12.1. Discreet Dancer traveled behind the pace in fourth. Raging Daoust quickly settled into third, tracking the pace.
A 4-year-old Kafwain colt out of the Caveat mare, Champagne Forever, Raging Daoust was bred in Kentucky by Stone Farm. He races for owners James Costablile, Jr. and Ronald Juiliano, who claimed the colt for $10,000 last June at Monmouth.
From the winners circle the owners were more than pleased with their colt’s success: “It’s just a dream come true…he was just a small claim for us….Everyone’s elated.”
Victorious in all but one of his seven Monmouth starts, Raging Daoust nonetheless went out as one of the longest shots in the field at 33-1.
Hitting the far turn, Santiago bid his mount two wide, rallying on Big Sur’s outside while the two dueled to the wire for a final time of 1:36.96. Csaba , who went out at 2-1, saved ground traveling mid-field and managed a brief rally to finish third, while even money starter Discreet Dancer closed late to a fourth-place finish.
Lucy's Bob Boy, Small Town Talk, Private Tale, and Bowman's Beast rounded out the order of finish.
Raging Daoust returned $69, $22.80, and 6.80. Runner-up Big Sur paid out $15.20 and $5.80, while Discreet Dancer paid $2.80 to show.
Hefty exotic payouts included $420.60 for a $2 exacta, $885.40 for a $2 trifecta, and a $1 superfecta paid $4,368.60.
Raging Daoust’s $90,000 share of the Salvator purse increases his earnings to $273,203 from his record of 9-2-3 from 19 starts.