A former beauty queen who tragically died at the age of just 25 while working at Michael Owen's stables is believed to have suffered a cardiac arrest.
Jessica Whalley was a transport manager at Manor House Stables, which is owned by the former England striker and daughter Gemma Owen. She passed away in March after collapsing while at work and her half-sister Leonna Mayor has now opened up about her tragic death.
While she is said to have suffered a cardiac arrest, a post-mortem did not show up any underlying health conditions.
Mayor, a former jockey who now works as a presenter on Sky Sports and ITV's coverage of horse racing, said: "She was very young and I feel the pain of my grandmother and aunt who were very close to her. As far as we know, she cantered up the gallop on the first lot, got to the top and had a cardiac arrest.
"They tried to resuscitate her for 30 minutes but they couldn't bring her back. She has since had a post-mortem and nothing has shown up. We assumed that something would come to light, a heart defect or something we didn't know was there, but it hasn't.
"We now have to wait for the blood tests - it's six to 12 weeks for full blood works. We weren't that close because my father hasn't made much effort with his children over the years. But I felt a really weird sad emptiness really, not being close to her or having a relationship for the last few years."
Whalley was a former beauty queen, having entered the 2019 Miss Tourism Universe pageant, and was described as a "much loved and respected member of the racing community" by the National Association of Racing Staff CEO George McGrath.
Speaking in April, Owen described Whalley's passing as the "worst day of my life". In an interview with Sky Sports Racing, Owen said: "It was a tragic incident that could have happened at any time. Nothing can really prepare you for something like that.
"A young girl who was supremely talented at what she did, who was massively popular, a real important member of the yard, the staff and everything else. Lots of people will be out there feeling the same thing. They will have lost somebody close to them or family member of whatever it is.
"What words can you say to describe it? Being there and being part of the whole day with the ambulance staff, who were amazing. Having to come down and tell 40 or her friends what's happened and things like that, what can you say? It was the worst day of my life."
