THE family of Richard Davis yesterday called for an overhauls of racecourse safety standards as an inquest returned a verdict of accidental death on the jockey.

The nine man jury at the Coroner's Court in Mansfield reached their decision after a hearing lasting four and three quarter hours.

They heard that Davis (26) died due to heavy internal bleeding as a result of a torn liver and lacerated main vein.

The jockey, from Ross On Wye, was crushed when Mr Sox fell on top of him after a terrible fall at Southwell on July 19th.

At the hearing, attended by Davis's parents John and Ann, it emerged that Southwell racecourse had breached medical guidelines.

There was also criticism of the course doctor who had not realised the terrible extent of the jockey's injuries.

"We just hope that Richard hasn't died in vain and that improvements will be made," said Mrs Davis after the hearing.

Paul Balen, the solicitor representing the family, said: "The evidence has shown that the course doctor underestimated the injuries to Richard.

"But the family already accept that whatever went wrong the outcome was inevitable.

"The appropriate course to follow now is that there should be a general inquiry into the safety of racecourses."