Attempting his second stakes win in a row around two turns, Pocket 3’s Racing’s Big Cuddle took aim at the $300,000 Delaware Derby, the co-feature with the Grade 3 Delaware Oaks at Delaware Park on June 13, and the nation’s richest stakes of the weekend. The 3-year-old son of Great Notion made it look easy, drawing off to win by four lengths.

Trainer Gary Capuano brought Big Cuddle in off a stellar score in the Sir Barton Stakes on Preakness Day at Laurel four weeks earlier, at the same mile and a sixteenth distance. “He has been running good, he is looking good and he has been training good, so all systems are on go for the Delaware Derby,” said Capuano the week before the race.

With regular rider Yedsit Hazlewood aboard, Big Cuddle went off the 6-5 favorite in the field of six after the Bob Baffert-trained morning-line favorite Litmus Test scratched. Off a bit slow at the break, Big Cuddle was allowed to settle to the outside, well behind soft early fractions of :24.30 and :48.29. “He had to sit off the pace today and it kind of looked like he was dragging him (Hazlewood) up there,” Capuano remarked after the win.

Making a three-wide move on the far turn, Big Cuddle struck the front before entering the stretch and from there powered home. His final time was 1:44.27 and the $180,000 winner’s share of the purse pushed his lifetime total to $340,020 from four wins in five starts.

“He has just been a great horse to be around and we are very happy with today,” added Capuano. “Stretching him out was a big thing and he is definitely improving, so we will see where we go from here.”

Undefeated in two starts at 2, Big Cuddle won his debut at Delaware Park and then rallied from well back to win the six-furlong Maryland Million Nursery Stakes after an eventful trip.

He returned in April to finish second in a five and a half-furlong allowance at Laurel while gaining ground at the finish.

Big Cuddle was bred by Two Legends Farm and is the fourth named foal out of Frechette, a winning daughter of El Padrino. He is a half-brother to $372,689-earner Devil Pays in Gold, winner of the 2024 Maryland Million Distaff Starter Handicap. Capuano purchased the colt as a yearling out of the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Eastern Fall sale for $30,000.

Tracing familial lines to third dam Lunar’s Legend, a producer of eight winners from 10 starters, including Maryland-bred champion Celestial Legend, Big Cuddle is related to additional Maryland-bred champions Miss Charm City and $967,795-earner Whereshetoldmetogo, the latter finishing first or second in all 10 Delaware Park starts, six of them stakes.