Sporting Life
Get today's Horses In Focus
Get today's Horses In Focus

Horses In Focus tips for Thursday: Eye-catchers chosen by Timeform experts

By Timeform
Horse Racing
Thu August 28, 2025 · 4M ago

Find out which runners on Thursday caught the eye of the Timeform reporters last time and were awarded the Horse In Focus Flag.

What is a Horse In Focus?

Every performance in Britain and Ireland is closely scrutinised by the expert race readers at Timeform whose tasks include identifying horses that shaped better than the result. Some of these eye-catchers will be awarded the Horse In Focus Flag.

A Horse In Focus comes in many forms, from a promising maiden winner to a veteran handicapper, but the common denominator is the same: the way the horse shaped suggests it’s likely to be something to back next time.

All of the day's Horses In Focus can be found within this article, which also includes a best bet selected by a member of the Timeform Sporting Life team.

The Timeform Flags also appear on the Racecards + section, available for Sporting Life Plus members, on Sporting Life racecards.

Thursday's Horses In Focus

For more on each horse, logged-in readers can head to today's racecards and click the Horse In Focus dropdown.

Newbury

Creciente – 16:15

7
3
Creciente24
Age: 2|  Weight: 9-6| J: Lewis Edmunds| T: B R Millman| OR:  66
14/1

Dark Shore – 16:48

3
11
Dark Shoreh115
Age: 2|  Weight: 9-7| J: Oisin Murphy| T: Jane Chapple-Hyam| OR:  -
4/1

Southwell

Sugarloaf Lenny – 17:45

8
1
Sugarloaf Lennyp21
Age: 4|  Weight: 9-3| J: P Mulrennan| T: W J Knight| OR:  70| CD
20/1

Cotswold Cottage – 17:45

13
4
Cotswold Cottage23
Age: 5|  Weight: 8-10| J: Callum Shepherd| T: Faye Bramley| OR:  63
20/1

Mysteryofthesands – 19:45

11
13
Mysteryofthesands18
Age: 4|  Weight: 9-3| J: D Allan| T: T D Easterby| OR:  79| D
17/2

Ffos Las

Klassleader – 15:40

5
3
Klassleader55
Age: 3|  Weight: 9-4| J: Cieren Fallon| T: W J Haggas| OR:  -| BF
30/100

Navan

Monte Vista – 14:30

2
5
Monte Vistab112
Age: 2|  Weight: 9-11| J: Paddy Harnett(5)| T: Donnacha O'Brien| OR:  76
5/1

Thursday's Best Bet

MONTE VISTA - 14:30 Navan

2
5
Monte Vistab112
Age: 2|  Weight: 9-11| J: Paddy Harnett(5)| T: Donnacha O'Brien| OR:  76
5/1

MONTE VISTA displayed ability in maidens and duly showed improved form on handicap debut when runner-up over six furlongs at the Curragh 12 days ago.

She shaped like the best horse at the weights on that occasion, too, likely to have made a fist of it with the winner granted a clearer passage, short of room around two furlongs out which resulted in her conceding first run.

Monte Vista has clearly been handed a fair mark and, with the addition of first-time blinkers likely to sharpen her up further, she's expected to go one place better now.

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