Monmouth: Raging Daoust noses out fellow longshot Big Sur in Salvator Mile

OCEANPORT, N.J. - Raging Daoust edged Big Sur by a nose in a battle of longshots in the Grade 3, $157,500 Salvator Mile on Saturday at Monmouth Park.

Raging Daoust paid $69 for the upset victory, giving Buddy Carlesimo one of the biggest wins in his career.

A popular longtime member of the Monmouth trainer colony, Carlesimo celebrated his first stakes win since Silent Serenade won the 2002 Open Mind Handicap. His last graded win was Sea Diffy in the 1995 Grade 3 Affectionately Handicap at Aqueduct. His biggest victory was the Grade 1 John A. Morris with Quick Mischief in 1992.

Raging Daoust, a 4-year-old gelding, ended the drought in a thriller.

Big Sur, 15-1, employed the same front-running tactics that carried him to victory in Monmouth’s Majestic Light Stakes. Breaking from the rail, Raging Daoust and jockey Victor Santiago sat right behind the pacesetter.

Lucy’s Bob Boy, making his first start away from Charles Town, where he is 13 for 16, pressed Big Sur in the early stages but could not dent the leader.

Turning for home, Big Sur was still going strong as Raging Daoust revved up.

It all came down to final head bob.

“It actually worked out to plan for a change,” said Carlesimo, a cousin of basketball coach P.J. Carlesimo. “We said to sit right off him, save the ground. Victor did a great job doing that. This horse never loses a head bob.”

And he rarely loses at Monmouth with a mark of 6 for 7 at the home track.

The time was 1:36.96.

Csaba was third followed by even-money favorite Discreet Dancer, Lucy’s Bob Boy, Small Town Talk, Private Tale, and Bowman’s Beast.