Laurel Park’s Late Pick 4 this Friday is sure to be a race to the wire – the first wire, that is, for three 7F sprints in the sequence. Bettors will have to navigate large fields in the one-turn sprints if they want to cash in on the 50-cent wager. Here’s a closer look at the action:

LRL 6th race (2:56 EST) -- Seven of the 10 entrants in this $5,000 claiming race at one mile are battle tested and six-figure earners. HOT N SPICY LOVE returns to his claim level after he followed the move of winning favorite Oxide (7-33, $213k) and finished third for an $8,000 tag. LET US MAKE GOLD was outrun by hard-hitting Kozy’s Wildcat (6-16, $159k) and others in a fast comeback race at Charles Town, but he earned the top three speed figures of his career when he won at 5-1 odds or higher in the fall. He is worth using at a price again in his second start ever around one turn.

LRL 7th race (3:27 EST) -- Good recent form abounds in this starter allowance, as evidenced by the field’s combined 22/6-4-4 record since December. ARISTOCRATIC has speed, a nose for the wire and a $500k bankroll thanks to a 49/10-12-11 main-track record, but the 9-year-old seeks his first win at 7F. TOP BOSS is versatile, in top form and won easily at the distance on short rest to start the year. ALPHA CHI RIO benefited from a lively pace when he rallied for second behind a sharp winner, but he could revert to front-end tactics that produced a 3-for-6 mark at Laurel Park. All that being said, hit the ‘ALL’ button for Pick 4 purposes.

LRL 8th race (3:58 EST) -- SKIPPER SUE exits a productive 5-1/2F allowance, will benefit from the added ground and will be closer to the pace if her two recent bullet workouts are an indicator. MAVILUS plays to a steady beat, just topped $200k in earnings and seeks her third win in a row at this distance.

LRL 9th race (4:29 EST) -- Both halves of the Hugh McMahon-trained entry pose a winning threat. BEST WORST IDEA gets Lasix off the claim and lost all chance with a stumbled start in a race that produced a maiden $30k winner and two runners-up. She met the likes of Tappin Josie (3-8, $123k) and stakes winner Titoschngedmyluck in her debut last year. DONNA’S COURAGE gets class relief after three in-the-money finishes in a row and has long sprint experience that most of her rivals don’t. ICESTORMING was a willing second to runaway odds-on winner Willful Desire at 6F with first-time Lasix.

Suggested 50-cent Ticket

LRL 6th race: 2, 4
LRL 7th race: ALL
LRL 8th race: 2, 7
LRL 9th race: 1, 2

COST: $36