This is closing weekend of the Belmont spring/summer meet, and Saturday’s Stars and Stripes Festival card features five important stakes – the Grade 1, $1 million Belmont Derby; the Grade 1, $750,000 Belmont Oaks; the Grade 2, $700,000 Suburban; the Grade 2, $300,000 John Nerud; and the Grade 3, $250,000 Dwyer. It’s a big-time card, so here’s hoping the weather forecast calling for thunderstorms in New York proves incorrect. Wet weather also threatens to impact the stakes-packed card at Delaware Park, where the main events are a trio of Grade 3 races – the $300,000 Delaware Oaks, the $200,000 Robert Dick Memorial, and the $200,000 Kent – and the Grade 3, $200,000 Parx Dash at Parx Racing. Saturday’s final graded race is the Grade 2, $200,000 Great Lady M. at Los Alamitos. Belmont Derby Trainer Aidan O’Brien sent two from Ireland for this spot – Cape of Good Hope and Blenheim Palace – and while neither has especially inspiring European form, they must be respected simply because they are out of the O’Brien yard. Trainer Chad Brown has four entrants, led by the undefeated pair of Demarchelier and Digital Age. Both are 3 for 3, and both own a powerful late kick and a distinct nose for the wire. Demarchelier and Digital Age both enter off career-best performances – Demarchelier won the Pennine Ridge, while Digital Age landed the American Turf – and both are extremely likely to be considerably better than their Beyer Speed Figures would suggest as both were able to win all of their starts despite having to close into slow paces. I won’t be surprised if any of the four mentioned above win this. But with an eye partly on the ugly weather forecast, I’m going with one of Brown’s other entrants – Rockemperor. Rockemperor is a newcomer to the United States and to the Brown juggernaut, having made his most recent start just last month in the French Derby. Rockemperor could only manage a sixth in that classic, but what I find most intriguing is he was sent off at only 2-1 against 14 opponents that day after an unlucky, narrowly beaten second in his French Derby prep two starts back. Clearly, Rockemperor is highly regarded. And if the rain does come Saturday and render the going off, he will be right at home. Rockemperor handled deep grass courses in France very well last fall at the launch of his racing career. Parx Dash Pure Sensation has returned in admirable form this year at age 8, winning both of his starts, including the Pennsylvania Governor’s Cup most recently. And now, Pure Sensation moves to the Parx turf course (weather permitting), which might be his favorite surface of all as he is 5 for 6 over it. That said, Pure Sensation is going to be a short price. And while he is not necessarily a need-the-lead type, he is not going to be in complete control of an uncontested pace in a four-horse field like he was in his most recent stakes score, not with the speedy Rocket Heat in this field. Completed Pass narrowly missed in the Pennsylvania Governor’s Cup last time, and I like him to turn the tables Saturday. Completed Pass, who has blossomed since moving to turf only three starts ago, winning Pimlico’s Turf Sprint two starts back, was up against it pace-wise in the Pennsylvania Governor’s Cup. He still almost caught the loose Pure Sensation but now finds a more favorable pace scenario here. Kent Stakes Like the Belmont Derby, this race attracted an evenly matched group of 3-year-old turf males. I would be surprised if Critical Data doesn’t attract disproportionate action given a near miss in his recent U.S. debut and his experience on deeper turf courses in England. But Award Winner is the one I prefer. Award Winner enters off an allowance victory at Churchill Downs in just his second attempt on turf. That was a solid effort, but it was his narrowly beaten second two starts back in his turf debut at Keeneland that appeals to me. Award Winner was in trouble in that Keeneland race before the gate even opened because he drew post 12 of 12. And, sure enough, he wound up getting caught at least four wide around both turns. Still, Award Winner forged to the lead in midstretch, only to be edged by Demarchelier, a serious talent and, as noted above, a big win threat in the Belmont Derby.