Life After Racing - Gingernuts

Triple Group One winner Gingernuts is a perfect example of why we love our horses.

If we look back on his career, the 2017 Derby hero confirmed his status as one of the best staying three-year-olds in Australasia by winning the Gr.1 Rosehill Guineas for Te Akau however his career was cut short due to him incurring an injury on his way to the start for the Group 1 Emirates Stakes at Flemington in 2018. It was a freak accident however due to the quick actions of jockey Mick Dee and race day staff together with veterinary experts, he was bandaged and assisted into the horse ambulance. He was whisked to the Werribee Veterinary Clinic for surgery, where his prognosis for survival was uncertain.

Thankfully, he was able to be nursed back to health, and three months later he was flown to his forever retirement home at Te Akau Stud. He is now a permanent resident at Te Akau Stud where we have given him his safe, forever home. And he runs the place!!!

These days, Jerry has taken on a key role at Te Akau, helping the young horses to ‘find their feet’ and gain confidence as they are being educated. Jerry enjoys working with the Te Akau yearlings and is always happy to see his human friends but his number one best friend and the great love of his life is a horse called Scrutinize. Scrute (as we know him) is a Savabeel gelding that also had his career cut short due to injury. The two of them are inseparable. They cuddle and preen each other and are practically joined at the hip. You will also see in this video one of our most beloved horses Te Akau Shark - we did everything for him to enable a happy retirement but sadly he could not win the most important battle of his life with a rare eye condition that was not related to racing. He forever will hold a special place in our heart.

Known for his courage on the racetrack, Jerry is now renowned for his personality quirks and his love of food. The team at Te Akau Stud sure knows if we are late with his breakfast he will shake his head and he always communicates with plenty of head nodding.

Jerry 'Gingernuts’ life after racing is a perfect example of how much horses means to us - we are thrilled to sponsor a race named in his honour at Ellerslie’s Summer Raceday and we see him as such a special part of the New Zealand racing industry.

This Derby Day is like no other, behind closed doors - Gingernuts’ would otherwise have been on course today to lead out the Derby field as he has for the previous two years.

Gingernuts, the horse who stole the hearts of people around the world affectionately known as “Jerry”, remains a crowd favourite. He is universally loved. At Te Akau, we take the responsibility of re-homing our retired racehorses very seriously – that is our commitment – to find safe, forever homes for our lovely equines.

Te Akau fully supports all aspects of horse well-being, going well above and beyond in our care for our equines at all stages of their careers. We believe in ‘loving life after racing’!