Treble-winning McCoy denies Johnson

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 today.

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 to draw alongside the leader after the last 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 topagain, 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 made 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.

Liam Cooper rode a 25-1 double on Rayware Boy (14-1) and Joss Naylor (8-11).