The 2-year-old filly Mac ‘n’ Cheese will be favored to win for the first time in her career when she makes her third start, and stakes debut, in Saturday’s $79,536 Oaklands Plate at Morphettville Racecourse in Australia.

Mac ‘n’ Cheese was second by a neck in a maiden race at 5 1/2 furlongs as the even-money favorite at Bendigo Racecourse on May 16, and second by a head as the 7-5 favorite in a handicap at seven furlongs at Sandown Racecourse on June 2. In both races, Mac ‘n’ Cheese closed from well off the pace to just miss.

Star of O’reilly, a 5-year-old New Zealand-bred gelding, was 22 races into his career before he had his first start at Mackay Racecourse in northeast Australia in April.

The venue has essentially changed his career. Star of O’reilly is unbeaten in four starts at Mackay, all in sprints in minor handicaps ranging in distances from 5 1/2 furlongs to 6 1/2 furlongs.

Hurricane Lane ran his record to five wins from six starts and won his second straight Group 1 race over 1 1/2 miles, following up on his Irish Derby victory with an extremely impressive six-length tally Wednesday in the Grand Prix de Paris at Longchamp.

Hurricane Lane, improving race by race, now looks a major threat for the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe in October – though it’s not even certain he’s the best 3-year-old in his barn.

Hurricane Lane, third in the Derby at Epsom and a last-out winner of the Irish Derby, is the favorite for the Group 1 Grand Prix de Paris on Wednesday at Longchamp.

The 1 1/2-mile fixture for 3-year-old colts and fillies is expected to be run over good-to-soft going on Longchamp’s grand course and attracted 11 entrants.

Paul Lally:

R1 1-8-11-9
R2 8-11-7-6
R3 3-4-6-11
R4 1-3-11-4
R5 5-7-10-8
R6 8-9-7-12
R7 6-2-3-8
R8 9-1-2-8
R9 4-8-11-5

Best Bet R3 N3 Ice Legend
Longshot R8 N9 Helene Wisdom Star
Play R3 QQP 3-4-6

Tom Wood:

R1: 1-8-7-9
R2: 3-7-10-8
R3: 3-11-4-6
R4: 4-1-3-6
R5: 11-7-10-3
R6: 12-3-8-9
R7: 6-3-1-5
R8: 1-2-11-8
R9: 11-4-8-5

Flagship Glory won his last two starts in England before being purchased and sent to race in Hong Kong, and to win his second start of the Hong Kong season he’ll have to beat the sharp Beauty Fit and 10 others on Wednesday at Happy Valley.

HAPPY VALLEY SELECTIONS
(Wednesday, July 14, 2021)

Paul Lally:

R1: 8-10-6-1

R2: 1-2-10-14

R3: 1-4-13-5

R4: 9-10-8-1

R5: 4-5-1-12

R6: 2-11-3-10

R7: 7-10-5-2

R8: 6-3-7-1

R9: 6-10-3-5

R10: 7-2-13-1

R11: 6-2-1-14

Best Bet R8 N6 Lucky Express

Longshot R6 N2 Loyal Baby

Play R6 QQP 2-3-11

Andrew Le Jeune:

R1: 4-8-6-1

R2: 3-2-9-1

R3: 5-13-7-10

R4: 10-1-8-3

R5: 1-4-6-11

R6: 4-3-11-10

R7: 7-10-6-9

R8: 3-6-4-2

Midtown went 2 for 2 as a 2-year-old while racing seven furlongs on racecourses with plenty of cut in the ground. Sunday at Deauville, he makes his first start at age 3 racing seven furlongs over a racecourse with plenty of cut in the ground.

A pair of Class 1 handicaps and a third start from the exciting 3-year-old Blaze Warrior highlight Sunday’s final Sha Tin race card of the 2020-21 Hong Kong season.

The 11-race program starts earlier than usual, 12:30 a.m. Eastern on Saturday night. You can catch all the action at DRFBets.com.

The Class 1s, both for horses rated 115-90, are races 8 and 10, the earlier heat carded for 1,600 meters, race 10 over 1,200 meters.