Stablemates Mucho, Hollis Could Meet in King Cotton

Trainer John Ortiz said grade 1-placed Mucho  and record-setting Hollis  are under consideration for the $150,000 King Cotton Stakes Jan. 29, Oaklawn Park's first of three of major sprint races for older horses.

Favored Mucho was a half-length winner of Oaklawn's eighth race Dec. 18, a high-end allowance sprint, under Reylu Gutierrez. The winning time for six furlongs over a muddy track was 1:09.90. Mucho is owned by Arkansans William Simon and Brent and Sharilyn Gasaway, who also campaign Hollis with Ortiz. Hollis set a 5 1/2-furlong track record in 1:02.17 with a 4 1/2-length allowance optional claiming victory Dec. 10 at Oaklawn.

"They might have to run against each other," Ortiz said about a half-hour after Mucho's victory Saturday. "Who knows, right? They both love this track, so they're definitely going to be running back here. Right now, we're looking at that timeline. We've got, obviously, the King Cotton. With Mucho, I still don't think we've unlocked his abilities yet. We'll see what we can come up with."

Mucho finished sixth in the 2021 King Cotton, but has been competitive in subsequent graded stakes events. The 5-year-old son of Blame   was exiting a runner-up finish, beaten a head by Necker Island , in the Bet on Sunshine Stakes Nov. 6 at Churchill Downs. Mucho began his racing career with Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott and finished second as the favorite in the 2018 Hopeful Stakes (G1) at Saratoga Race Course.

On behalf of Simon's WSS Racing and the Gasaways' 4 G Racing, Ortiz claimed Mucho for $80,000 in November 2020 at Churchill Downs. Mucho has subsequently won two allowance races at Oaklawn and the Challedon Stakes July 31 at Pimlico Race Course for his newest connections. He has earned $335,900 in 10 starts this year.

Hollis was a $50,000 claim for Ortiz, WSS Racing, and 4 G Racing in May 2020 at Churchill Downs. The 6-year-old Street Sense   gelding has won the 2020 Jim McKay Turf Sprint Stakes at Pimlico, 2021 Stonerside Sprint Stakes at Sam Houston Race Park (in a dead heat), and two allowance optional claiming races at Oaklawn for the trio.

Millionaire and multiple grade 2 winner C Z Rocket  was the 5-2 program favorite for Saturday's eighth race, but was scratched because of the off track, co-owner Tom Kagele said in a text message to Oaklawn media Saturday night. Kagele said C Z Rocket will be pointed to an allowance race early next month at Oaklawn as a bridge to the six-furlong King Cotton.

C Z Rocket was Oaklawn's top older male sprinter at the 2021 meeting after winning the Hot Springs Stakes and the Count Fleet Sprint Handicap (G3). Following the King Cotton, Oaklawn's stakes series for older sprinters continues with the $200,000 Whitmore Stakes (formerly the Hot Springs) March 19 and the $500,000 Count Fleet Sprint April 16.