Ricky May drives Utmost Delight (13) to victory. Photo / Harness News.
Ricky May drives Utmost Delight (13) to victory. Photo / Harness News.
Ricky May, the champion harness racing driver who "died" on the racetrack in January, completes his remarkable comeback by returning to racing at Addington on Friday night.
And while the modern-day Lazarus says while his doctors have told him to simply get on with life, he admits he is nervous.
"Now I have my clearance to come back and it is becoming a reality I am a bit nervous," says May.
"Almost like driving in a New Zealand Cup, except this is just a winter meeting.
"But once I get out there I am sure the competitive juices will kick in and take over," says the 62-year-old.
May is one of the most successful horse people in the history of New Zealand racing but shocked the racing world when he collapsed and fell from the sulky when leading the major race of the day on A G's White Socks at Omakau in Central Otago on January 2.
May's heart had stopped suddenly, his official diagnosis was hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy.
It is a sometimes genetic condition that can see the heart muscles thicken even though the heart itself is healthy, even affecting young athletes at the peak of their physical prowess.
May was in shape and very active. He had no warning of what could happen and seconds before the incident was talking normally.
Then he slumped in the sulky, fell to the track and the racing world feared the worst. A rival driver Ellie Barron, a qualified physiotherapist, performed CPR on May but his heart had stopped. Doctors later told him he may have been dead for 10 minutes.
Days later May had surgery that implanted a cardioverter defibrillator in his chest that he will live with it for the rest of his life in case his heart stops suddenly again.
Paramedics and others rushed to the side of driver Ricky May following the incident at Omakau racecourse in January. Photo / Jonny Turner
But after the initial tough recovery May listened to his doctors. He got on with his life. "I have been living pretty much as normal, driving the tractor, welding, lifting the same stuff around the farm I usually would.
"To be honest I have probably worked harder than usual because I haven't had to rush away to the races.
"And especially, the last month, as I knew I was getting close to a comeback and I wanted to see if I was ready. So I pushed myself and I feel great.
"I have a monitor that the doctors can use to see how everything is going and they told me today (Monday) there hasn't been an issue of any sort."
So May will have his first public outing as a driver at the Ashburton workouts tomorrow, although he has been driving plenty of track work.
"I actually haven't driven at the workouts because I didn't have the clearance from the specialist but now I have I have got six drives at the races for Friday night already.
May was back at Addington last Friday playing stablehand for his good mate Laurence Hanrahan but knows this week will be different.
Every person at Addington, almost every person in New Zealand racing and many overseas will be touched by the fact the little man in the golden helmet will be back.
Because in the darkest hours after he fell to the track five months ago they thought they never see him again.
But among the joy, handshakes and undoubted tears May will have a job to do. He isn't going back to the races for the fun of it, he is going back to win.
He has 2949 career wins in New Zealand and wants to become only the third driver ever to gain 3000 victories here.
"I have still got things I want to achieve," he says.
