We, together with Gingernuts' owners, have been totally overwhelmed with the outpouring of love for this special wee guy since he was seriously injured around at the start at Flemington on 11 November.
Jerry, as we know him, has the courage of a lion and fought a significant set-back during his rehabilitation like a tiger. He has a world-wide fan base who inquire after him every day and he has also received many get well cards. We have been posting frequent updates on Twitter but we also wanted to share this one with you here today as it truly warms our hearts. If you are a Twitter follower we are @TeAkauRacing and Jerry's hashtag is #jerrylove
We cannot thank everyone enough for your support and care, he is much-loved by us all - and the kind wishes received from around the world have had such a positive impact.
This video is from New Year's Day - Jerry returned to his rehabilitation farm from the Werribee Clinic after his scare. He has a lovely outlook - he can see other horses in their paddocks and he has a mate who comes in to spend the night alongside him. Our specialist teams, both at the hospital and at the farm, have been extraordinary - our gratitude to them knows no bounds!
Jerry is a happy horse, putting on weight, and is walking as well as can be expected at this time. You may remember when he was interviewed by Channel 7 from Australia, asking him if he wanted to win the Melbourne Cup, he nodded his head up and down furiously (one of his most endearing quirks) and nearly knocked the actual Cup over! He was responding to the question "do you want your dinner?" - when you watch this video, we think you will see why it brought tears to our eyes.
We cannot wait to have Jerry back home which we hope will be in coming weeks - we do not know what his future holds racing-wise but you can be very, very certain of one thing - we will never put him at risk unless he is 150% well and he will always, always have a home at Te Akau Stud for the rest of his life.
