Cuz Eyema Cowboy Baby Looks To Add Another Stakes Victory In $15,000 Don Drake Memorial At Will Rogers Downs

The final weekend of the Will Rogers Downs fall racing season kicks off Sunday afternoon with an eleven-race card that features the Grade 2 $15,000 Don Drake Memorial Stakes for three-year-old Paints and Appaloosas.

Scheduled as the second race on the card, a field of six sophomores will compete over 350 yards, with an approximate post time of 12:25 p.m.

Gary and Charity Hensley's Oklahoma-bred gelding, Cuz Eyema Cowboy Baby, leads the field as the 2-1 morning-line favorite, aiming to add another stakes victory to an already successful season.

Cuz Eyema Cowboy Baby enters Sunday's race after a troubled outing in which a bad stumble led to being eased to the finish. That effort marked the only time this season the gelding has finished outside the top two. Previous victories include the Henry Bowlan Memorial, Grade 2 Masterpiece Derby, Speedhorse Graham Stakes, and Grade 1 Speedhorse Graham Paint & Appaloosa Stakes.

With seven career victories and $114,690 in earnings, Cuz Eyema Cowboy Baby has established an impressive record as the final weekend of racing approaches.

The son of Flying Cowboy 123, out of the Crm Livewire mare Cuz Eyema Livewire, is trained by Jesus Ruiz and will break from post three. Jockey Gonzalo Gutierrez will take the reins for the first time.

Set On Cruise enters as the second choice at 3-1 odds, aiming to turn the tables on a familiar rival. The three-year-old filly has finished second to Cuz Eyema Cowboy Baby in the last three meetings, following an allowance victory over the gelding in late April.

Bred in Oklahoma by Dan and Kaye Jones, the daughter of Crm Livewire, out of the Second Painted Sign mare Lindys Sign, was trained by Matt Whitekiller. Set On Cruise will break from post four, directly alongside Cuz Eyema Cowboy Baby, with jockey Cody R. Smith aboard.

With the two familiar rivals drawn side by side, Sunday's Don Drake Memorial gives Set On Cruise another chance to challenge the morning-line favorite as stakes racing kicks off on the final weekend of the Will Rogers Downs fall meet.

The races at Will Rogers Downs can be watched on Q-Racing Video.

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