Staff member, 25, who died at Michael Owen's stables' cause of death revealed by sister

 Former beauty pageant queen Jessica Whalley, who died whilst working at Michael Owen's Manor House Stables in Cheshire, suffered a fatal cardiac arrest her sister has revealed

A former beauty pageant queen who died whilst working at Michael Owen's stables suffered a fatal cardiac arrest her sister has revealed.

25-year-old Jessica Whalley was working as a transport manager at Michael Owen's Manor House Stables, which he co-owns with daughter Gemma Owen.

Sadly, Whalley passed away back in March, collapsing whilst at work.

And now Whalley's half-sister, Leonna Mayor, a former jockey who works for Sky Sports and ITV as a horse racing commentator, has revealed she suffered a cardiac arrest.

"As far as we know, she cantered up the gallop on the first lot, got to the top and had a cardiac arrest," Mayor said.

"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.

"It was the worst day of my life" 💔@themichaelowen reflects on the tragic loss of Jess Whalley, a valued member of the @MHS_HorseRacing team who sadly passed away last month. pic.twitter.com/49pfRYZEb9

— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) April 21, 2023

"We now have to wait for the blood tests - it's six to 12 weeks for full blood works."

A former beauty pageant queen, Whalley entered the 2019 Miss Tourism Universe Pageant.

The 25-year-old was also described by the National Association of Racing Staff CEO, George McGrath as a "much loved and respected member of the racing community".

And the death of Whalley also had a huge impact upon Owen and the rest of the Manor House staff, who described her passing as "the worst day of my life".

"It was a tragic incident that could have happened at any time. Nothing can really prepare you for something like that," Owen told Sky Sports Racing back in April.

"A young girl who was supremely talented at what she did, who was massively popular, a really important member of the yard, the staff and everything else.

"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."