Monday Racing Tips: Key Timeform data including a Horse In Focus

• Promising Starlit Spice remains capable of better

• Medinilla can prove better than opening mark

• Crowd Quake still unexposed over middle distances

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Sectionals suggest there's more to come from Starlit Spice

This fillies' novice is an interesting race as all four horses with experience have the Timeform 'small p' to show improvement is expected, while the two newcomers are both well bred and represent powerful stables. Starlit Spice could be the one to side with, though, as she was a big eye-catcher on debut at Leicester last season and wasn't seen to best effect when fourth on her reappearance at Haydock last month.

Starlit Spice was unable to land a telling blow at Haydock having been held up in a race run at just a modest gallop, but she made good headway in the closing stages to get to within a length and a half of the winner, earning Timeform's Sectional Timing Flag to show that she can have that effort upgraded based on the clock.

Starlit Spice was comfortably the quickest through the final three furlongs at Haydock - she was the only filly in the line-up to break the 35-second barrier - and she received a notable sectional upgrade at least 4 lb higher than anything else in the race. There is better to come from Starlit Spice and she is worth another chance to build on the abundant promise she showed on debut.

Medinilla likely to improve on handicap debut

Medinilla was held back by inexperience when sixth on debut at Newbury last September, but she shaped well by the end, catching the eye with her finishing effort once the penny dropped.

She was turned out again at Ripon only eight days later and kept on well to lead close home and get off the mark. That looked like a weak race at the time, but there were a couple of subsequent winners in the field and an opening BHA mark of 68 could underestimate her, especially as she still has the Timeform 'small p'. She is the only runner in this race with the Timeform 'small p' and looks to have more untapped potential than her rivals. 

Horse In Focus Crowd Quake can follow up

Crowd Quake produced comfortably his best effort yet when successful over this course and distance of a mile and a quarter at Windsor a fortnight ago, proving well suited by the stiffer test of stamina.

Crowd Quake was shaken up over three furlongs out, but he responded well to forge into the lead over a furlong out, and he kept up the gallop to fend off the unexposed runner-up by a length and a quarter, with a further four and a quarter lengths back to the third. That performance earned him the Timeform Horse In Focus Flag to identify him as likelty to be of firm interest next time.

Crowd Quake's three runs in maiden/ novice company had come over five furlongs, while he wasn't seen to best effect on his handicap debut over a mile at Southwell where he met trouble in running, but he showed at Windsor that he thoroughly stays a mile and a quarter. He remains unexposed over middle distances so a 6 lb higher mark may not stop him following up (he heads Timeform's weight-adjusted ratings). 

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