Champion harness driver Ricky May collapses mid-race at Omakau

One of New Zealand's leading harness racing drivers is being rushed to hospital after a shocking mid-race incident at Omakau today.

Driver Ricky May collapsed in the sulky when driving favourite A G's White Socks in front in the day's feature race the Central Otago Cup.

May fell backwards seemingly unconscious in the sulky while the horse continued on and then fell to the track, all live in front of the big crowd and televised around Australasia.

The race was quickly called off and medical crews rushed to work on May with an Air
Ambulance on its way to the track.

But it is believed a young female driver, who was not participating in the race, was one of the first people to May's side and performed CPR on him.

May spent over an hour being stabilised by the local ambulance crews and has not being flown to Dunedin hospital yet.

He was diagnosed as being in a critical condition and it was deemed too dangerous to airlift him to hospital immediately but a helicopter taking him to Dunedin Hospital eventually lifted off at 6.15pm.

The racing stewards who run the race meeting confirmed May had suffered a cardiac arrest and the remainder of the meeting was called off.

Ricky May, pictured here in 2016, has collapsed during a race in the South Island. Photo / Greg Bowker

May has reined nearly 3000 race winners in New Zealand, making him the third most successful driver in the industry's history and has won our greatest race, the New Zealand Trotting Cup seven times.

The Omakau meeting is the small club's only race meeting held on this day annually.

May was added to the Addington Harness Hall of Fame in 2013.

His citation said he came from a "prominent harness racing family", and that harness racing had "always been a big part of Ricky's life".

"Ricky May commenced as a junior driver in the 1976/77 season with his first win coming on Ruling River (trained by father Terry) at Orari in November 1976. He had reasonable early success culminating in finishing fourth (14 winning drives) to Tony Herlihy in his final season as a junior driver in the 1980/81 season.

"Ricky May is known for his coolness under pressure often producing a gem of a drive to obtain victory. He is known for always presenting trainers with a racehorse each time they get back from racing."

His vast achievements include multiple New Zealand Cups, Drivers Premiership, recording more than $2 million in combined stakes winnings during the 2009/10 season, drove 105 winners in the 2003/04 season, and drove six winners in one night alone at Addington in 1991.

He has two sons and a daughter.