HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – The colt named MUCHO passed his first test as a 3-year-old in workmanlike fashion when outrunning four others in a Friday allowance sprint at Gulfstream Park, and now trainer Bill Mott will contemplate what’s next for the Blame colt.

Ridden by Jose Ortiz, Mucho rallied from just off the pace to win the six-furlong race by 1 1/4 lengths in 1:10.35 over a fast track, returning $3 as a heavy favorite. It was the first start for Mucho, who was getting Lasix for the first time, since he finished second in the Grade 1 Hopeful in early September.

“It looked like maybe he got a little tired at the end,” said Mott, who already has Hidden Scroll and Country House as top contenders for the May 4 Kentucky Derby. “But he’d been off six months, and like Jose said, he made a pretty long run from the three-eighths pole home. It was a pretty good race, I’d say.”

Mucho was bred in Kentucky by his owners, Claiborne Farm and Adele Dilschneider. Seth and Walker Hancock of Claiborne were among those on hand for the race, which was the fourth of the bay colt’s career. A romp of nearly 10 lengths in an August maiden race at Saratoga preceded his runner-up finish in the Hopeful.

“We need to sit down with the powers-that-be and figure out if we want to stretch out next time or what we want to do distance-wise,” said Mott. “I’m sure we will (stretch him out) at some point, but whether or not it’s in his next start is what’ll have to be decided.”

RELEASETHETHUNDER finished second, a neck before front-running LUTSKY in the field of five.