Strong card, big fields at Laurel

Laurel Park has a nice-looking card on Friday. Seven of the 10 races have at least 10 horses, and the feature is an optional-claiming race for 2-year-olds at a one-turn mile.

Super high fives will roll all day. There is a $770 carryover into race 1.

The feature has first-level allowance conditions and a $50,000 claiming option. Eight of the dozen 2-year-olds enter off a win at either Laurel, Saratoga, Monmouth Park, Delaware Park, Arlington Park, or Canterbury Park.

The horses to beat are Baychimo, trained by Kelly Breen, and Professor Zoom, trained by Rudy Rodriguez.

In his second start, Baychimo defeated first-time starter Jay’s Way by three-quarters of a length. Most recently, Baychimo finished fifth in the Grade 3 Iroquois at Churchill Downs. Since being beaten by Baychimo, Jay’s Way has won a Monmouth maiden race and a first-level optional claimer at Delaware.

Professor Zoom comes into Friday’s race off a $65,000 maiden-claiming win at Saratoga.

The card also includes a second-level optional-claiming race and two maiden special weight races, all on turf.