Jess Whalley: Michael Owen on ‘supremely talented and massively popular’ stable staff member after tragic passing | Racing News

Michael Owen has described the day Jess Whalley, a key staff member at his yard, suddenly passed away as “the worst of my life”.

Whalley collapsed while riding out a horse at Owen and Hugo Palmer’s Manor House Stables yard last month.

The 25-year-old, described by Owen as supremely talented and massively popular, was given CPR by staff members until emergency services attended the stables, but was pronounced dead at the scene.

The stables is a purpose-built training facility created by Owen and his family and has been the base for trainer Hugo Palmer since last spring.

They subsequently withdrew runners for the rest of the week, with the former England, Liverpool and Real Madrid striker describing the day as “the worst of my life” in an interview with Sky Sports Racing.

“It was a tragic incident that could’ve happened at any time. Nothing can really prepare you for a thing like that,” an emotional Owen told Sky Sports Racing.

“A young girl, who was supremely talented at what she did, was massively popular, and a real important member of the yard and the staff.

“Lots of people will be going through the same thing, having lost someone close to them or a family member and what can you say? What words can you say?

“Being there and a part of the whole day with the ambulance staff who were amazing.

‘It was just the worst day of my life’

“Having to come down and tell 40 of her friends what’s happened – it was just the worst day of my life. We all miss her terribly.

“The horse that she was riding, she’d just finished her work and it was great and she would’ve been beaming because it was a horse she absolutely loved.

“They came to a stop at the top of the hill ready to walk down and that’s when something went wrong with Jess’s health.

“We’ll definitely continue to remember Jess and we’ve got a lot of things planned for the future. We’ll never forget Jess.”

Trainer Hugo Palmer, who moved up to Owen’s Cheshire base in early 2022, also told of the yard’s togetherness and discussed plans to remember Jess in the future.

“She was the most wonderful girl, liked and respected by all of us,” Palmer said. “Not only a fantastic employee but a fantastic friend to all of us and the staff here.

“Everyone’s been really affected by it, but in a funny way it’s brought them closer and at the minute they seem united and looking out for each other.

“You can’t find any silver lining or chinks of light in a situation like this but when the funeral has been and gone, I think we’ll be able to get on and make some concrete plans about doing something in Jess’s memory.”