Salvator Mile odds and analysis: 1 runner stands out
The Grade 3, $150,000 Salvator Mile, which serves as the final local prep race for the Monmouth Cup (G3) on July 19, drew a field of nine horses, 3-year-olds and up, for Saturday at Monmouth Park.
The Salvator Mile is one of the four Haskell -review stakes races. In addition to the Salvator, the Eatontown Stakes (G3) for older fillies and mares serves as the prep for the Matchmaker (G3), the Pegasus (G3) is linked to the Haskell Stakes (G1) for 3-year-olds, and the Monmouth Stakes (G3) preps for the older male turf division in the United Nations (G1).
Here is a full-field analysis for the Salvator Mile with morning-line odds from the Horse Racing Nation staff. The Salvator is scheduled as race 10 of 12 with post time set for 4:55 p.m. EDT.
1. Antigravity, 30-1. Samurai – Dan Ward / TBD – 43: 5-6-12 - $507,925. Antigravity is a 7-year-old who has 43 career starts with five victories. He has been running in starter allowances since October at five tracks. His last victory was at Monmouth Park a year ago, when he was claimed for $12,500 after a front-end effort. Last summer he was third in the Iselin (G3) at Monmouth. Toss.
2. Trademark, 8-1. Upstart – Vickie Oliver / Axel Concepcion – 28: 6-3-1 - $1,139,330. Trademark ships up to the Jersey Shore from training at Keeneland, where he was last seen running sixth in the Fayette (G2). The 6-year-old millionaire has not won a race since November 2023 in the Clark (G2), when he prevailed by a nose with a stalking trip. In 2023 he was third in the Salvator Mile (G3) and second in the Iselin (G3). Toss.
3. Tuscan Sky, 3-1. Vino Rosso – Todd Pletcher / John Velazquez – 10: 3-1-1 - $259,850. Tuscan Sky tried the turf last month in the Fort Marcy (G2) and was fifth. Last summer he won the Pegasus at Monmouth to prep for the Haskell, where he did very little running. He was laid up until November, when he came back to finish a game second in the Discovery at Aqueduct. In four graded stakes since, his best finish was third in the Ghostzapper (G3) at Gulfstream Park in March. Use underneath.
4. Offaly Cool, 6-1. Kantheros – Jacinto Solis / Abner Adorno – 18: 7-6-2 - $332,943. Offaly Cool hit the board in three top-level allowances at Parx. He finished in the top three in 11 of his last 12 starts, with four victories in two allowances and two stakes races at the Pennsylvania track. Use underneath.
5. Surface to Air, 10-1. Midshipman – Panaglotis Synnefias / Samuel Marin – 19: 4-1-2 - $277,054. Surface to Air comes back from a winter break to make his first start in 2025. Last summer he ran seventh in the Monmouth Cup (G3) and eighth in the Red Bank on the turf. After that he won a pair of allowances in Kentucky. He was fourth at the end of 2024 in a stakes race at Parx. Toss.
6. Vitality, 12-1. Street Boss – Joe Orseno / Frankie Pennington – 13: 3-2-1 - $299,020. Vitality won a first-level allowance at Gulfstream Park by four lengths with a late rally in his first race of 2025 for a new trainer as the favorite in a field of six. He began his career racing at Woodbine and last year won the Prince of Wales, which is part of the Canadian Triple Crown. Vitality has been training at Monmouth since that victory in Florida. Live long shot.
7. Nelson Avenue, 15-1. Into Mischief – Jorge Abreu / Samy Camacho – 20: 6-2-2 - $325,055. Nelson Avenue makes his first start since moving to the barn of Jorge Abreu in May. He has been in training for at least a year with four victories in two allowances, a high-priced claimer and a stakes at Parx on a muddy and sealed track by more than 11 lengths. He was claimed for $40,000 back then. After that stakes win to end 2024, he ran in three allowances at Aqueduct and raced out front but faded in all three. Toss.
8. Awesome Ruta, 30-1. Mendelssohn – Dan Ward / Isaac Castillo – 14: 2-3-4 - $138,520. Awesome Ruta returned from a nine-month layoff to run third twice in an allowance at Oaklawn Park and another at Monmouth. He appeared on the 2024 Kentucky Derby trail and has a couple of second-place finishes in stakes at Delta Downs and at Colonial Downs. Toss.
9. Bishops Bay, 9-5. Uncle Mo – Brad Cox / Flavien Prat – 9: 6-3-0 - $513,550. Bishops Bay never has run worse than second in his nine career starts, with six wins. As a 3-year-old he was second in the Peter Pan (G3) and the Ohio Derby (G3). He won his last three starts, which were this year in an Oaklawn allowance, the American Pharoah at that Arkansas track and last month in the Westchester (G3) with a front-end score that earned the best speed figure of his career. He will ship to Monmouth from Brad Cox’s barn at Belmont Park. The one to beat.
Summary: Bishops Bay tops the field of nine in the Salvator Mile (G3). He has the best overall record and is also in the best current form riding a three-race winning streak. The speed figure he earned last month in the Westchester at Aqueduct is by far the best in the field this year. Tuscan Sky, Nelson Avenue and Trademark have past victories that would make them contenders, but their recent form does not measure up.
Vitality had a trainer change to regular Monmouth conditioner Joe Orseno and won an allowance at Gulfstream for him already. He could be a threat to get into the exotics as a live long shot. But Bishops Bay is the top pick to win the Salvator Mile.