HAVING strongly recommended readers of this column to put their hard-earned cash on Lord Noelie at 33-1 for Newbury's Hennessy Gold Cup in November, it was desperately disappointing when the horse finished just out of the money in fourth spot.

It's no use thinking his supporters will get anything like those odds for today's Pillar Property Chase at Cheltenham, but beggars can't be choosers and Lord Noelie is worth another wager in the £75,000 Prestbury Park feature.

Henrietta Knight's classy nine-year-old immediately entered Gold Cup calculations having run so well in the Hennessy under top-weight, and to confirm his position among the market leaders he really needs to beat the likes of Marlborough and Legal Right this afternoon.

In such situations it is essential to get the inside track on the horse and his trainer could not have been more upbeat. "Although things can change quickly, Lord Noelie is very well at the moment," reported Henrietta in the build-up to the big-race.

It's nigh on impossible to keep Martin Pipe and Tony McCoy off the scoresheet at present and the combination represent a particularly potent force at Cheltenham.

The dynamic duo are unlikely to come away empty-handed with especially strong claims in the Cleeve Hurdle via Rodock (3.25).

Rodock was once thought of as a champion hurdle possible. He's failed to deliver at that sort of level, but could easily prove to be a leading contender in the staying hurdle division now that he has been stepped up to three miles.

Another individual trying a much longer distance is Turgeonev (3.55), trying to follow up his Ascot Victor Chandler heroics in the Ladbroke Trophy Chase.

Not surprisingly for a horse on the brink of a five-timer, Tim Easterby's fast-improving grey has taken a mighty leap in the ratings since the start of the season.

Happily for connections of the North Yorkshire-trained gelding it hasn't made a shred of difference to Turgeonev, a classic case of just how profitable it can be to follow horses once they get on a winning roll.

Ayr's opening EBF Novices' Hurdle should be a formality for Lenny Lungo's The Bajan Bandit (1.00), unbeaten in his two races over timber so far this term.

He'll go off at prohibitive odds and more of a working man's price should be Solsgirth (1.35).

Until his most recent outing, when runner-up at Newcastle, Solsgirth appeared to have completely lost the plot. At last the eleven-year-old seems to have finally recaptured some of his old sparkle and by all accounts will go well back at his favourite track.

Just Maybe (2.10) is a very interesting contender in the Highland Mary Novices' Hurdle.

Kenny Johnson's mount would probably have prevailed at Hexham in December but for capsizing at the final obstacle. On the evidence of that performance Just Maybe is thrown in at the weights and should not be missed.

Finally to Lingfield, where Mark Johnston's Atlantic Quest (3.10) makes plenty of appeal in the Bet Direct Conditions Stakes.

The once-raced colt won on his debut at the course over a mile under a peach of a ride by Joe Fanning. Fanning nursed his mount to victory that day giving the distinct impression there was plenty left in the tank.

* Richard Johnson was left cursing arch rival Tony McCoy once again after coming within inches of landing the first winner of his comeback at Doncaster yesterday.

It was the champion jockey who stole the headlines with a 49-1 treble to take him on to 216 winners for the season - only 53 behind Sir Gordon Richards' record of 269 with three months of the campaign to go.

But Johnson, having only his second ride since returning from three months out with a broken leg, looked poised to strike as 5-6 favourite Dark'n Sharp closed on front-running Hit And Run (11-10) jumping the second-last fence in the Doncaster Racecourse Sponsorship Club Novices' Chase.

Johnson conjured a storming late effort out of his mount and the two old rivals fought tooth and nail all the way to the line.

But the photo-finish revealed that McCoy, who has beaten Johnson into second place in the jockeys' championship in each of the last four seasons, had come out on top again, with the Martin Pipe-trained Hit And Run getting the verdict by a head.

''He's still very hard to beat but I will keep trying!'' said Johnson, who had returned from injury with one ride at Plumpton on Thursday.

''I thought I would nearly win going to the second-last but he's probably just needed the run a little bit. He's run a good race and he will improve a bit for the run.''

McCoy had initiated his treble on Hit And Run's stable-companion Shemdani, who defied the four-and-a-half-mile trip north from Nicholashayne and a drift in the betting to make a successful jumping debut in division one of the Cusworth Novices' Hurdle.

The ex-French three-time Flat winner, sent off at 3-1 from an opening 9-4, was driven out to score by a length-and-three-quarters from Winged Hussar.

McCoy was seen at his strongest on top-weight Gun'n Roses II in the Ernie Peterson Lifetime In Racing' Handicap Chase, keeping the front-runner going in the closing stages to hold off Ryalux by three lengths.

''That was a gritty performance under 12st,'' said Pipe's representative Bob Hodge