“He’s a pretty fast horse,” jockey Raul Mena said in the Laurel Park winner’s circle after Chipotle wired the field in Friday’s featured race, a first-level allowance for 3-year-olds with a $62,500 claiming option at 5 1/2 furlongs.

Pretty fast, indeed.

Chipotle beat the gate under Mena, blasted out to the early lead, and controlled fractions of 23.17 and 47.62 seconds.

Chipotle turned into the stretch with a 2 1/2-length cushion over a chasing Slam Notion, then just had enough in the tank to score by a diminishing half-length in 1:06.29 over the fast main track. He returned $10.80 to win as the fourth choice in the betting.

A game Slam Notion was easily second best, 7 ½ lengths clear of Shootersgottashoot, with Artillery Gunnar, War Humor, and Nola Boss rounding out the order of finish. Mission First and Kerness K scratched.

“He’s not green anymore, but he’s still learning,” Mena continued. “I’m very happy with the way he’s improving. He likes the competition. He was very comfortable on the lead. When he felt the other horse coming from behind, he gave me another gear. I was very happy with the way he galloped out.”

Mena believes Chipotle, a colt by Mitole, will stretch his ability to at least seven furlongs.

Foaled in Minnesota, Chipotle is a homebred owned by On Your Left Racing. The lone multiple-race winner in the field, he captured his seasonal debut three weeks ago in a $50,000 starter allowance at Aqueduct.

Trained by Michael Gorham, Chipotle has won three of seven starts for lifetime earnings of $87,575.

Di’s Surprise pulled off a $98 upset in the day’s co-feature, a second-level allowance with a $40,000 claiming option for fillies and mares at seven furlongs.

Trained by Hugh McMahon and piloted by apprentice Jadiel Zambrana, Di’s Surprise broke best, then allowed the speedy Talk to the Judge to make the lead from her inside while racing in the two path.

Discreet Ops crept through on the rail at the quarter pole to take a brief lead, but Di’s Surprise was up to the task. She collared Discreet Ops, then held off Stop the Cap’s late bid to prevail by a neck in 1:27.35.

A 4-year-old filly by Preservationist bred in Kentucky by Usquebaugh Stables, Di’s Surprise is owned by SAB Stable.

Suga Steve captured his third consecutive start with a 2 ¼-length triumph in the fourth race, a first-level allowance for 4-year-olds and upward at six furlongs.

Saddled by Lacey Gaudet for Team Gaudet and Penwood Racing, the Goldencents colt tracked the pace while three wide under jockey Carlos Lopez assumed command at the top of the stretch and completed the distance in 1:12.96. He returned $3 to win.

  A 4-year-old colt by Goldencents, Suga Steve was claimed by Gaudet for $20,000 out of a 10 ½-length victory on Dec. 6. Three weeks later, he bested $45,000 conditioned claimers by 3 ¾ lengths and received a career-best 90 Beyer Speed Figure.

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