Racing: Davis inquest today

The inquest into the death of Richard Davis takes place at Mansfield Civic Centre this morning. The jockey, aged 26, died only hours after sustaining internal injuries to his liver and spleen when his mount Mr Sox landed on top of him after falling in a novices' chase at Southwell on 19 July.

Mr Sox, trained by Laura Shally, started at 20-1 and it was the first time Davis had ridden the horse. Davis briefly regained consciousness after the fall, but suffered a relapse after he arrived at the Queen's Medical Centre, Nottingham. While the fall looked bad from the stands, there was initially some optimism about Davis's condition. It was only after the jockey arrived at the hospital that the full extent of his injuries became clear.

Davis, from Worcestershire, rode 61 winners in Britain. He started his riding career with the now retired John Edwards at Ross-on-Wye. When Davis turned professional, he went to work as a conditional with Toby Balding. His first winner for Balding was Sea Buck at Sandown in February 1993.