Champion harness driver Ricky May making remarkable recovery after mid-race collapse

Driver Ricky May collapsed in the sulky when driving in Thursday's feature race, the Central Otago Cup at Omakau. Photos / Otago Daily Times

Champion harness racing driver Ricky May is making a remarkable recovery from an incident that left the racing industry in shock on Thursday.

The 61-year-old has been sitting up in his Dunedin hospital bed and been able to talk to his family.

May suffered what doctors are calling a medical incident, initially thought to be a cardiac arrest, when driving A G's White Socks in the $30,000 Central Otago Cup at Omakau on Thursday.

May fell backwards in the sulky as the horse ran on for at least 300m before May fell to the track.

He was worked on by first young harness driver Ellie Barron and then doctors on track but could not be transported by air to Dunedin Hospital for over 90 minutes until his conditions stabilised.

May was kept sedated for much of the last two days but doctors brought him around at 9am this morning and close family friend Laurence Hanrahan has confirmed to the Herald that May has been talking.

"He remembers going to the races in the morning but not much about the race day at all," said Hanrahan.

"But we are all so thrilled that he is able to sit up and talk and we know he is in good hands. So thing are much, much more positive."

May is enormously popular in the New Zealand racing industry and is the third most successful harness racing driver in our history, coming up on 3000 winners.

He has also driven the winner of New Zealand's greatest race the New Zealand Cup seven times.