Timeform Notebook: Captain to have day in the Sun

Captain Sunshine has come to grief twice at Kempton's final flight

Timeform return to bring you three eyecatchers in the latest edition of the Timeform Notebook...

The first horse to catch our eye last week was the Donald McCain-trained hurdling debutant Aazif. Thrown into what looked like a strong juvenile contest, Aazif displayed a real aptitude for hurdling, jumping well in the main and travelling strongly just behind the leaders on his way to finishing second at Doncaster. Considering he fared best of those who were ridden positively, it is possible Aazif was committed for home slightly too soon and he looks like a banker to land a similar contest. Also, it is worth noting that Aazif was a fair handicapper on the Flat for John Dunlop and it would be a surprise were Donald McCain unable to conjure further improvement out of the four-year-old.

This is perhaps a speculative inclusion and based primarily on her overall profile as opposed to her effort at Sedgefield on Friday, but it is well worth watching out for what mark Painted Tail receives from the BHA handicapper after three innocuous runs over hurdles. A fair performer on the Flat, Painted Tail clearly has ability, more than she has shown so far over hurdles, and she could very easily receive a mark that considerably underestimates her. Her temperament has come under suspicion on the Flat, but she is certainly an interesting prospect for handicap hurdles.

Captain Sunshine's effort in the Lanzarote Hurdle will not have gone unnoticed by many, but it was yet more evidence that he is a handicapper well ahead of his mark. Having been left plenty to do turning for home, Captain Sunshine was finishing strongly and vying for third when falling at the final flight, looking as if he was going to finish a clear second at worst. Captain Sunshine deserves extra credit for how much ground he made from a seemingly impossible position and Emma Lavelle's unexposed seven-year-old should be capable of making amends in another top handicap.

Runners Debrief:

Master Benjamin was understandably well supported at Doncaster on the back of a promising effort at Exeter off the same mark. However, though once again travelling well for much of the contest, Jeremy Scott's runner was unable to make an impression in the closing stages, eventually coming home in eighth place. The application of cheekpieces perhaps sounded a note of caution and it remains to be seen whether he will be capable of building on his encouraging effort at Exeter.

The Alan King-trained Ulys du Charmil couldn't improve on his Doncaster effort when coming home in fifth at Ludlow, but he remains relatively unexposed and isn't one to dismiss, particularly under less testing conditions.

Similar sentiments apply to Highland Lodge, who remains a chaser of some potential despite disappointing at Warwick. His jumping was nowhere near as fluent as it had been when successful at Cheltenham and it is worth completely forgiving him this flop, bearing in mind how visually impressive he had been last time.

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