Jason, the brother of Damien, one of the country's top riders, died in a Perth hospital.

The 33-year-old failed to regain consciousness from a heavy tumble the previous day, a family friend said in a statement.

He was trialling a two-year-old horse when the accident happened.

It is the second track tragedy to hit the Oliver family after their father, Ray, died from injuries suffered after he fell from his mount during the 1975 Boulder Cup.

Damien and his mother Pat were called to his bedside in the intensive care ward of the Royal Perth Hospital.

He had been unconscious with severe head injuries since the fall on Monday.

The life support system was turned off and he died peacefully.

The two-year-old he was riding, Savage Cabbage, broke a fore-leg after passing the winning post while being reined in.

Jason suffered severe head injuries when his mount, which had finished at the tail of the field, crashed and rolled on him.

Close family friend Neil Pinner issued a brief statement on behalf of Pat and Damien Oliver.

He said: "His mother Pat and brother Damien would like to thank the people of Australia for their prayers, wishes and wonderful thoughts.

"Jason Oliver was a man with a heart of gold."

Damien is booked to ride Dermot Weld's Irish challenger Media Puzzle in the Tooheys Melbourne Cup next Tuesday.

The jockey rode Doriemus to victory in the 1995 running of the big race.