Super Screener: Shippers look tough in Manhattan

One of the Triple Crown's greatest traditions is a big turf stakes ahead of a classic, and the Manhattan Stakes delivers the usual hype with a competitive Grade 1 for older males going 1 3/16 miles on Saturday at Saratoga Race Course right before the Belmont Stakes.

No. 7 Rhetorical is the big favorite in the Manhattan off his impressive win in the Old Forrester Turf Classic Stakes on Kentucky Derby day, but a mix of distance questions and new faces here has Mike Shutty's Super Screener looking to take a shot against the morning line favorite.

"The pace here will land a few ticks faster than par, and it will be led by No. 5 Deterministic with Rhetorical right on his heels," Shutty writes. "The Europe-based horses earn the top scoring with No. 6 Bright Picture edging out No. 3 Make Me King for top honors.

Trained by the legendary Andre Fabre, Bright Picture has successfully competed against some of the top talent in Europe over any turf condition and is very well suited to this distance. He'll sit the ideal stalking position and then unfurl a lethal late foot to rush past others on the way to the wire first.

"A very strong win pick that meets much easier here."

Each race in Super Screener includes selections, analysis and wagering strategy, but subscribe to the Belmont Stakes edition and get so much more in-depth coverage of the final jewel of The Triple Crown like pedigree analysis and horse-by-horse pace predictions.

As part of the wagering strategy for the Manhattan, Super Screener gives a big push to Make Me a King--who, while not the top pick here--can have a big say in the outcome of vertical wagers. Throw in even bigger longshots like No. 2 Test Score and No. 1 Tiz Dashing while beating Rhetorical, and this race can produce a nice score.