Having caught my eye when riding a winner at Ffos Las in November 2010, and with a more recent improvement in strike rate, the 7-lb claimer Ed Cookson is this website's rider to keep an eye on in 2011/12.

Ed had a difficult situation to deal with when steering the Andy Turnell-trained The Rainbow Hunter to a chasing debut-win at the Welsh track. Safe with the race from three out, the horse was jumping and veering to his right. Not only did the combo have to negotiate the remaining fences, Ed was well balanced in a situation when some riders might have fallen off the side door on the run-in.

Then has come the improvement in Ed's winners-to-rides ratio. In the period between March 11th and August 5th, Ed notched six victories from 31 mounts. Most of them were for the resurgent Kim Bailey, for whom Ed is the stable's conditional jockey, with one - Benjamin Bittern at Market Rasen in April - for Chris Bealby.

Apart from his association with The Rainbow Hunter, Ed struck up a good partnership with Sonny Mullen, winning twice on the Bailey-trained chaser in April.

Let's see what Ed can do in the 2011/12 season.

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