Super Screener preview: Oppose heavy chalk in Parx Dirt Mile

One of the shortest prices on the Pennsylvania Derby card on Saturday at Parx could be Grade 1 winner Gunite in the Parx Dirt Mile, but that short price only means opportunity elsewhere for Michael Shutty.

The Parx Dirt Mile is one of eight stakes covered by Shutty in this week's Super Screener with six from Parx and a pair from Churchill Downs, which has a night card. Those handicapping Parx should plan for wet conditions on the main track and the potential for races being taken off the turf.

The Parx Dirt Mile begins an all-stakes Pick 4 that includes the Gallant Bob (G3) for 3-year-old sprinters and concludes with the Grade 1 double of the Cotillion Stakes and the Pennsylvania Derby. Shutty uses Gunite on just 10 percent of his tickets.

"Gunite is perhaps the dominant speed here, but at a mile – this is not his optimal distance," Shutty says. "He is tough to take as an odds-on favorite."

So, who do we like?

"The pace will be led by no. 3 Mish battling with Gunite, and the former is likely to pay a price as a result," Shutty says. "Pressing that pace while saving ground throughout is the Super Screener top win and top value pick, no. 4 Nimitz Class. He owns both a balanced energy distribution profile and a remarkably strong turn of foot for a horse that races exclusively on dirt/synthetic, which contributes to his consistency."

Nimitz Class is 9-2 on the morning line, but with Gunite expected to go off much lower than his 2-1 morning-line price, Nimitz Class should drift and offer value in all pools.