The upcoming Fourth of July weekend at Belmont Park promises to deliver plenty of fireworks on the track, with a trio of great stakes races on Saturday, Independence Day, in the Grade 2, $400,000 Suburban Handicap, the Grade 2, $200,000 Dwyer for three-year-olds and the Grade 1, $300,000 Prioress for three-year-old fillies, followed by Sunday’s Grade 2, $200,000 Tom Fool Handicap.

Trainer Todd Pletcher will be well-represented throughout, with Let’s Go Stable’s Ready’s Echo starting in the 1¼-mile Suburban, Edward P. Evans’ three-year-old American Dance going in the 1 1/16th mile Dwyer and his three-year-old filly, Light Green, going in the six-furlong Prioress, and Michael B. Tabor’s three-year-old Munnings starting in the seven-furlong Tom Fool.

Ready’s Echo encountered traffic problems in the Grade 1 Shadwell Metropolitan Handicap on May 25, and was beaten but four and a half lengths in finishing seventh to Bribon.

“I thought he ran pretty well in the Met Mile,” said Pletcher of Ready’s Echo, who in his first start of 2009 took a seven-furlong allowance at Keeneland over Polytrack. “This will be his third start off the layoff, and I think a mile and a quarter should suit him. I am optimistic he will run well.”

American Dance, a gray son of A.P. Indy, has a record of 2-2-1 from six starts, and most recently ran off to an impressive 6¼-length allowance victory going nine furlongs at Belmont Park on May 21.

“He seems to be an improving colt,” said Pletcher of American Dance, who in his lone stakes appearance was third behind Old Fashioned and Atomic Rain in the Grade 2 Remsen last year. “I am hoping his last race was a breakthrough race for him. I wish the (Dwyer) was a mile and an eighth or longer, but he has been training well for this.”

Light Green, no worse than third in six lifetime starts, has put together back-to-back victories at six furlongs, taking an allowance at Gulfstream Park by 6½ lengths in April and an overnight stakes at Belmont by eight lengths on May 15.

“Her last two were really good, and I am hoping for a repeat of her last effort,” said Pletcher of the daughter of Pleasantly Perfect. “It’s a tough race.”

Among those also pointing toward the Prioress are Grade 1 Acorn winner Gabby’s Golden Gal and Grade 3 Miss Preakness winner Heart Ashley.

Munnings was an eye-popping, 5¼-length winner of the Grade 2 Woody Stephens on Belmont Stakes day and Pletcher is counting on a big break in the weights as he faces older horses in the Tom Fool. Fabulous Strike carries 123 pounds, while Munnings gets in at 112 pounds.

“I wanted to wait and see the weights – we thought we’d get a break as he is a three-year-old,” said Pletcher. “We won this race with Trippi (2000) as a three-year-old. It’s ambitious to try older horses at this time of year, but it’s our best option to keep him at a distance he likes and at a track he likes.”

The trainer added that Malibu Prayer, second to Rachel Alexandra in Saturday’s Mother Goose, came out of the race in good order.

Farnsworth Stables’ Gozzip Girl, winner of the Grade 2 Sands Point at Belmont Park on May 30, departed for California Sunday, where she will run in the Grade 1, $700,000 American Oaks on the turf at Hollywood Park on July 5.

The three-year-old daughter of Dynaformer has won three of her past four starts, with a second-place finish to Hooh Why in the Grade 1 Ashland at Keeneland.

“She’s been running well her last few starts,” said trainer Tom Albertrani. “She ought to run a big race out there.”

Although he had considered running Charitable Man in the Dwyer and Dream Play in the Prioress, trainer Kiaran McLaughlin’s major representative this weekend will be Sheikh Mohammed’s Asiatic Boy in the Suburban Handicap.

Charitable Man will await either the Grade 2, $500,000 Jim Dandy at Saratoga on Aug. 1 or the Grade 1, $1 million Haskell Invitational at Monmouth the following day with the ultimate goal being the Grade 1, $1 million Shadwell Travers on Saturday, Aug. 29, at Saratoga Race Course.

Asiatic Boy, a winner of more than $3 million in Dubai, finished a solid second to Macho Again in the Grade 1 Stephen Foster in his first start for McLaughlin.

“Carrying high weight of 122 pounds wouldn’t please any trainer, but I understand, as he carried 122 last time,” said McLaughlin.

Peachtree Stable’s Masala will be making his second start for Hall of Fame trainer H. Allen Jerkens in the Dwyer, having won a 1 1/16th mile allowance on June 13 at Belmont Park in his first outing.

“He ran awfully good the day he won, but you always wonder if they can take the next step,” said Jerkens.

While in the care of Todd Pletcher, the son of Lion Heart compiled a record of 1-1-1 from six starts, which included a fourth-place finish to I Want Revenge in the Grade 3 Gotham Stakes at Aqueduct and a fourth to Advice in the Lamplighter Stakes at Monmouth Park on May 25.

“He’s run well in all his races,” said Jerkens, who won the Dwyer in 2004 with Medallist.

Accompanying Jerkens at the barn and on his golf cart these days are two young helpers – 12-year-old Paloma Velez, daughter of exercise rider Richard Velez, and 14-year-old Fernando Abreu Jr., son of Jerkens’ assistant, Fernando Abreu.