Risk taker a cut above (6)
I believe the answer is:
better
I believe this clue is a double definition.
'risk taker' is the first definition.
(better is a kind of risk taker)
'a cut above' is the second definition.
(thesaurus)
(Other definitions for better that I've seen before include "Recovered; gambler" , "Preferable" , "Recovered from illness - more satisfactory" , "Comparatively good" , "More appropriate; gambler" .)