AFTER three months on the sidelines with a broken leg, Richard Johnson has come back with a bang over the past week, booting home winners at Kempton, Sandown, and yesterday at Fontwell.

Richard has no hope of catching Tony McCoy in the race for the jump jockeys' title, but he's still favourite to finish runner-up, assisted by a decent book of rides at Market Rasen this afternoon.

I particularly like the look of Johnson's mount, Sunday Rain (3.00), in the Racing Welfare Handicap Hurdle.

Last time out at Newcastle, Sunday Rain was absolutely cantering with four furlongs to travel in a three-mile contest. But his stamina simply didn't last out and when the fuel gauge hit empty he stopped as if shot shortly after jumping the third last flight.

It was a sequence of events which was not lost on trainer Lucinda Russell, who has sensibly dropped Sunday Rain back in trip and switched the gelding to a significantly easier course.

Lucinda has also booked Richard to partner Hailstorm in the Del Carter Memorial Handicap Chase, although the fact that the horse has failed to get round on either of his last two starts hardly inspires confidence.

In the circumstances it might pay to oppose Hailstorm with Ello Ollie (3.30), out to prove his 33-1 success at Leicester recently was no fluke.

It was the fitting of a set of blinkers that made all of the difference to Ello Ollie at Leicester. He had previously been lacking any sort of zest.

Andy Turnell's seven-year-old remains on a handy mark over fences compared to his superior hurdles rating of a couple of years ago, so provided the blinds work the oracle for a second time, he's the one they all have to beat.

The banker on the card at Southwell has to be Takes Tutu, whose form stands head and shoulders above his rivals in the seven-furlong Maiden at 2.40.

Sadly, Mark Johnston's colt is likely to go off at extremely cramped odds and more in the way of value should be Aberkeen (2.40).

After a long spell in the wilderness, Aberkeen left Michael Dods to be trained by Jedd O'Keeffe at Middleham.

He's always been a bit of monkey and it wasn't surprising that the change of scenery finally woke his ideas up again.

The presence of Leanne Kershaw in the saddle has also helped as Aberkeen prefers to be cajoled along, rather than be bullied in to action nowadays.

Leanne has a long way to go if she is to match the achievements of Joanna Badger, now firmly established as one of the leading lady professional jockeys in this country.

Joanne teams up with Spanish Star (4.10) in the closing mile-and-three-furlong Littlewoods Bet Direct Handicap.

By virtue of a rare act of largesse by the Official Handicapper, Spanish Star is only a pound higher than when winning at Wolverhampton a week ago - an opportunity just too good to miss.

* Today's meeting at Carlisle has been abandoned becuase of waterlogging.

Clerk of the course Jonnie Fenwicke-Clennell said: ''We need a week of dry weather and if it doesn't do something by the end of the week we're going to be struggling for our next meeting on February 18. Nobody has ever seen Carlisle quite as bad as this."

* Hughie Morrison is hoping that Marble Arch will book his place in the Smurfit Champion Hurdle with a bold show in the Tote Gold Trophy at Newbury on Saturday.

The six-year-old is 7-2 favourite with both the sponsors and William Hill for the £110,000 Showcase Handicap Hurdle and the East Ilsley trainer has snapped up Norman Williamson for the ride