Nominations for all of the Brisbane Winter Racing Carnival majors are now out including a bumper 107 three-year-old staying types entered for the 2016 Queensland Derby.

Gunsynd Classic winner Cylinder Beach is one of the headline 2016 Queensland Derby nominations taken for the June 11 classic at Eagle Farm Racecourse. Photo: Daniel Costello.

The $600,000 Group 1 Channel Seven Queensland Derby (2400m) runs over the mile and a half at Eagle Farm Racecourse on Stradbroke Handicap Day, Saturday June 11, as one of three elite levels on the card.

A host of promising youngsters feature in the Queensland Derby nominations this season including plenty of fillies keen to take on the boys in the set weights clash.

The last Queensland Derby winning filly was Dariana (2010) and among the girls nominated to be the next in 2016 are: ATC Oaks runner-up Ambience, Grant Williams’ WATC Derby winner Arcadia Dream, her WA Oaks winning stablemate First Impressions and early 2016 Queensland Oaks favourite Imposing Lass.

Interstate raiders have dominated the Queensland Derby results in recent history and it could be another tough ask for the locals this winter.

Trainer Darren Weir has six entries led by the flying Howard Be Thy Name who has won his past three starts on the trot.

The Redoute’s Choice colt is also nominated for the $500,000 Group 1 South Australia Derby (2500m) in Adelaide on May 14 following his last start victory in Morphettville’s Group 3 Chairman’s Stakes (2020m).

Last year’s Queensland Derby winner Magicool (2015) was also a SA Derby graduate having run fourth in the lead-up to his Brisbane victory.

Another last start winner boasting serious Queensland Derby claims this year is the local Desleigh Forster-trained Cylinder Beach.

The Showcasing gelding was a big force in last year’s Winter Carnival running third in the Group 2 BRC Sires’ Produce Stakes (1350m) and fourth in the Group 1 JJ Atkins (1600m).

He returned to racing last Saturday at Doomben and put the writing on the wall for his Derby bid with a narrow victory in the Group 3 Gunsynd Classic (1630m).

Forster has also nominated I’m Belucci for a shot at the Queensland Derby despite the Captain Sonador colt’s disappointing 13^th of 14 runners in the Gunsynd.

Stablemate Too Good To Refuse was only a short half-head off Cylinder Beach when second in the same mile showdown, but isn’t nominated for the Derby.

Instead Forster has the Rothesay colt in the mix for the $1.5 million Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap (1400m) on the same card.

It is the same story for the Liam Birchley-trained Gunsynd Classic third placegetter Havasay who skips a shot at the QLD Derby in favour of Queensland’s richest race.

The next best out of the Gunsynd who is nominated for the Queensland Derby then is fourth placed Shotacross The Bow prepared by Eagle Farm’s David Murphy, the gelding under a length off the winner in last weekend’s Group 3.

Another promising last start winner who is proven over the mile and half and further is the Lee & Anthony Freedman-trained Cool Chap coming off an Anzac Day win at Flemington in the Listed VRC St Leger (2800m).

Third in the same staying showdown in Melbourne from April 25, the David Hayes & Tom Dabernig-trained Tavistock gelding Bullish Stock is also a Queensland Derby nominee.

The Lindsay Park stable have also thrown in an early entry for Sacred Eye and Spring Action.

Other notable Queensland Derby nominations include the David Brideoake-trained Hardern, John O’Shea’s Hard Spun gelding Tarquin and Roger James’s New Zealander The Hassler.

The 2016 Queensland Derby first acceptances close at 9:00am (AEST) on June 1, so before then head to our preferred bookmaker Ladbrokes.com.au – home of Odds Boost!

2016 Queensland Derby Nominations

Eagle Farm Racecourse – 11/06/2016