Ross beats health scare, and competition

TERRY GANGE (HARNESSLINK)

Workhorse Victorian harness racing reinsman Ross Payne reckons he’s the best he’s felt in 30 years after a brush with death two months ago.

And it didn’t take the former Kiwi long to get back into the winner’s circle.

Payne, at just his second drive back after his health issues, partnered with one of his favourites, squaregaiting mare Queen of Quebec to win the Lyn McPherson Memorial Breed for Speed Silver Series Final at Melton on Saturday night.

The 67-year-old is the stable foreman for Queen of Quebec’s trainer, Romsey-based Chris Svanosio, and is known around the traps as a “workaholic”, a label he doesn’t dispute.

“I just love working, being busy – I’m no good at all just sitting around,” he said.

“But when all this started a couple of months back, I was struggling pretty badly. On the Saturday morning I felt terrible and everyone at the stables told me I looked awful. I went home that day, and then on the Monday I was back at work, but I was worse again.

“I went out and did one in trackwork, then when I got back to the barn, one of our good owners Clare Payne told me she’d made an executive decision – she’d booked me into the doctor, because she knew I probably wouldn’t stop long enough to go.”

The first diagnosis was that Ross “just had the flu”, but when he couldn’t take his trial drives that night, he was convinced it felt worse than flu, and was feeling so bad the next day that he went back to the doctor again.

“Then they couldn’t get me into an ambulance quick enough!” he said.

“I went to Geelong hospital, and they found I had pneumonia and that my heart was working overtime to keep me alive because of that. One of the heart valves had closed in and the doctors said that’s dangerous at 40 per cent – and I was at 80 per cent.

“They say God only takes the best – so I knew I was in with a chance to get through! But it was pretty scary.”

Payne underwent open heart surgery for a new heart valve – and said his health and wellbeing in his recovery has been amazing.

“I told the surgeon I’ve always been able to work 20 hours a day, no trouble. He told me that after the surgery I’d be able to do 22…and he’s pretty right,” Payne said.

“It took me a couple of weeks to get active but once I got going, I was walking between 10 and 20 kilometres a day, twice a day.

“I couldn’t wait to get back to work. They thought it’d be three months before I could, but I felt great in two months, and they gave me the all-clear.  I’m just on ultrasounds every 12 months now, to keep an eye on things.

“I honestly haven’t felt this good since my 20s and 30s.”

Payne certainly hasn’t lost his touch.

He drove Queen Of Quebec a treat, restraining to the rear from a wide barrier six draw, then making a three-wide run on the back of Valerie Lane in the latter stages, before pulling off her back and running strongly to the line to score by three metres.

Payne shared a fist-bump with “the boss” Svanosio, who was driving the stablemate Aldebaran Demi, as the pair eased up after the finish of the race.

“It felt pretty good – good to get back to work and good to get back driving, which I love,” Payne said.

“Even better to get a winner. We had a bit of luck, but the mare just trotted super and did it easy.”