Kidney transplant recipient Marlon Dolendo will make a remarkable comeback to race riding at Taree on Friday.

The popular jockey has two mounts at the NSW north coast track, Gold Vision for Neil Godbolt in the opening race and Can Be Silly for Jenelle Butler in the third event.

It will be the first time Dolendo has ridden in a race since December 2010 when he had to be assisted from the track by the clerk of the course due to exhaustion.

Subsequent tests showed Dolendo’s kidneys were operating at less than 10 per cent capacity and he was put on a dialysis machine four days a week to help his body cope.

He had all but given up hope of riding again until his sister, Marie, donated a kidney in August last year and Dolendo underwent a successful transplant operation.

When he was well enough, Dolendo resumed riding trackwork and then in trials before doctors finally gave him the all clear to resume race riding this week.

“It’s been a long road but I will be so happy to be back at the track on race day,” Dolendo said.