Big names from the racing world joined family and friends to say goodbye to Eldwick jockey Tom Halliday who died after falling from his horse.

More than 300 mourners packed Christ the King Catholic Church in Crossflatts, Bingley, yesterday with many forced to stand outside to pay their last respects to the young jump jockey who had been tipped for a top career.

The 20-year-old, based at the Eldwick yard run by Sue Smith, wife of former showjumper Harvey Smith, died on Sunday, July 3, from after his horse landed heavily on him in a novices' handicap hurdle at Market Rasen, Lincolnshire.

Mrs Smith, who saw him fall, said: "Tom's family are doing okay, as well as you would expect. Tom would have been absolutely delighted that so many people were here today because of him and that they all thought so well of him."

Champion jump jockey Tony McCoy and other top jockeys Timmy Murphy, Ruby Walsh and Richard Johnson were all there along with a big contingent of jockeys from yards in the South of England and Ireland.

Mr Johnson said: "He was just a young lad starting out and making a name for himself. He had a bright future."

Dominic Elsworth, 25, and a jockey from the Smith yard, said Mr Halliday's colleagues were devastated.

Niall Saville, 22, also a Smith yard jockey who knew Mr Halliday since he was 15, said: "Tom's death is starting to hit us now, at first we couldn't believe it."

Annie Dodd, of the British Horseracing Board, express-ed "enormous sorrow" for Mr Halliday's family.

His crop and riding hat were poignantly laid among flowers on top of the coffin.

Father Joe Smith told mourners: "It's very difficult to understand why someone dies as young as this but we are here today to give support to his family and to acknowledge the life of this young man. Death does not have the last word."

Around 15 of Mr Halli-day's former year group friends from St Bede's in Bradford were in church along with his then head teacher Dr Jim Hagerty.

Former classmate James Morris said: "He always wanted to be a jockey. When the rest of us were reading tabloids he was reading the Racing Post."

An inquest has been opened and adjourned.