HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Brad Cox leads all trainers in stakes wins at the Oaklawn Park meet with six, and he will be out to add to his total over the next three Saturdays, when the track puts on its Racing Festival of the South. There are eight major stakes to be run over those dates, and the races are worth a cumulative $4.95 million. Cox has horses pointing to at least five of the stakes, led by two-time champion Monomoy Girl in the Grade 1, $1 million Apple Blossom Handicap. The Racing Festival is a series Cox keys on for a number of different reasons. “It plays a huge role in what we’re trying to accomplish in the spring and moving forward to the summer as well,” he said. “It’s a big opportunity for black type for fillies and mares, then the Arkansas Derby is a major Kentucky Derby prep. We’re fortunate to be in a position to have fillies that need black type and graded black type and a colt in Caddo River trying to get to the Kentucky Derby.” Caddo River was Cox’s first stakes winner at the meet, when he won the opening-day $150,000 Smarty Jones. He is being pointed to the Grade 1, $1 million Arkansas Derby on April 10. Cox could also have a starter in the $400,000 Oaklawn Mile on April 10, although on Tuesday he had not decided. Entries for the four-stakes card will be drawn next Tuesday, April 6. :: Bet horse racing on DRF Bets. Double Your First Deposit Up to $250. Join Now. The Festival opens Saturday with a pair of stakes for 3-year-old fillies, and Cox has horses in both races. Sun Path and Coach go in the Grade 3, $600,000 Fantasy, which is a points race for the Kentucky Oaks. (It also offers its first three finishers a berth into the Black-Eyed Susan at Pimlico.) Cox won the Fantasy in 2018 with Sassy Sienna. Southern Grayce will be making her stakes debut in the $200,000 Purple Martin at six furlongs. She enters off an allowance win at the same distance March 4 at Oaklawn. “She likes Oaklawn – she’s shown that in her short career,” Cox said. Fernando De La Cruz will be aboard from gate 4 in the field of five Saturday. “I like the post,” Cox said. The final festival card on April 17 features the Apple Blossom and the Grade 2, $1 million Oaklawn Handicap. Cox said Monomoy Girl has a work coming up for the Apple Blossom, while Getridofwhatailesu also remains under consideration for the 1 1/16-mile race. Cox said Owendale is a possibility for the Oaklawn Handicap over 1 1/8 miles, as is Warrior’s Charge. Cox has never had a more productive Oaklawn meet as far as stakes wins. He saddled Shedaresthedevil to win the Grade 2, $350,000 Azeri last month, and in February took the Grade 3, $750,000 Southwest with champion Essential Quality, the Grade 3, $250,000 Bayakoa with Monomoy Girl, and the $150,000 Downthedustyroad with The Mary Rose. Getridofwhatailesu won the $150,000 Pippin here in January. Cox ranked third in the Oaklawn standings with 19 wins from 68 starts and had stable earnings of $2.1 million through Tuesday. The leading trainer was Steve Asmussen with 35 wins, while Robertino Diodoro ranked second with 29. Oaklawn has been opening its infield on Saturdays and Sundays. The forecast for Saturday is for a high of 66 degrees, with a 4 percent of rain, according to The Weather Channel. There will be two additional stakes over the next three weeks at Oaklawn, the $150,000 Rainbow and $150,000 Rainbow Miss on April 16. The races are for 3-year-olds at six furlongs and restricted to horses bred in Arkansas.