Liam Cooper

Born: 29 May 1979 Place of birth: Cumbria National best: Second: Clan Royal (2004) 2002-03 wins: 48 2001-02 wins: 42 2000-01 wins: 7 1999-00 wins: 23 Main trainer: Jonjo O'Neill

Cooper comes from good racing stock.

One of his uncles is David Goulding, a former top northern professional while another uncle, John, won the Scottish National on Astral Charmer before turning to training.

But it is one of Goulding's contemporaries, Jonjo O'Neill, that Cooper can thank for notching up some decent winners so early in his career.

Cooper started by mucking out his uncle John's small stables and spent a year with Ian Balding before linking up with O'Neill.

Having joined O'Neill in Penrith, he followed the former champion jockey when he moved south to Jackdaws Castle in Gloucestershire and the partnership has blossomed.

Cooper was aboard two of O'Neill's four winners at the 2002 Aintree Festival and those victories helped him finish second in the conditional jockeys' title race with a total of 42 winners.

The Grand National fences have proved problematic for many of the top jockeys - O'Neill himself had a poor record over the course.

Yet Cooper seems to excel over the National fences - he has won the Topham Chase and came sixth in his first attempt in the big race itself in 2003, which he topped with second place the following year.

In between times, he won the Tote Becher Chase on Clan Royal - the pair narrowly beat Amberleigh House, but the latter exacted cruel revenge in the 2004 Grand National.