Te Akau Augustus Update

We are delighted to report that the promising three year old Augustus, bought last week in an on-line auction by David Ellis, has arrived safely in Brisbane ahead of his Group 1 assignment on Saturday.

The well-bred son by Snitzel out of Gussy Godiva was purchased by David Ellis for A$210,000 and the shares in him were immediately snapped up.  Purchased with the 2019 $1 million Group 1 Singapore Derby in mind, he will in due course re-locate to Te Akau's Singapore stable.  However his new Te Akau owners will first have the thrill of cheering him on in the A$600,000 Group 1 Queensland Derby this Saturday - a race that he had been previously aimed at by his connections and Chris Waller who trains the gelding.

The winner of three of his 11 starts, he will fly the tangerine flag at Doomben on Saturday where he has drawn barrier nine - but with the emergencies out, he will jump closer in from barrier six or seven potentially and will be ridden by Sydney's Premiership-leading jockey Brenton Avdulla.

Augustus has travelled well from Sydney to Brisbane and is well settled in - Chris Wallker reports:

"Brenton Avdulla is in the saddle and Augustus has drawn barrier nine in a field of sixteen with five emergencies, three of which have drawn to his inside (note Tangled has today been scratched). Brenton is a good strong rider which should suit this horse and Brenton has ridden him in the past and in work before. It is a competitive race this year, very even and he should certainly stay the distance being out of Gussy Godiva and has given us every suggestion that the further he goes the better he will get. I appreciate the opportunity to run this horse under the Te Akau banner and I look forward to Saturday with a positive outcome."