Nominations for the 2020 Stradbroke Handicap at Eagle Farm closed this week with in-form colt Dawn Passage the early favourite of the 100 early entries for the Brisbane Winter Racing Carnival classic.

Dawn Passage is early favourite in 2020 Stradbroke Handicap betting for this winter. Photo: Steve Hart.

With Coronavirus reaping havoc on the Australian racing calendar, there’s been plenty of major changes to the winter line-up in the Sunshine State.

Racing Queensland however are pressing on with the 2020 edition of the time-honoured Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap (1400m), the event taking place at Eagle Farm Racecourse on Saturday June 6.

Prize money across the carnival has been drastically reduced including this year’s Stradbroke Handicap offering $350,000 in stakes.

That hasn’t stopped the quality of the Stradbroke Handicap nominations however with plenty of top-class sprinters in the mix.

All-in Stradbroke Handicap 2020 odds online at Ladbrokes.com.au list the Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott-trained Dawn Approach colt Dawn Passage as the narrow $8 favourite.

The three-year-old was last seen winning the Group 3 Hawkesbury Guineas (1400m) at Rosehill by nearly three lengths on ANZAC Day, form the bookies predict could stack up in the tougher test against the older horses next month.

Dawn Passage, if accepted into the Stradbroke Handicap field, will look to be the second three-year-old in four years to salute following the recent success of Impending (2017).

Following closely on the second line of futures Stradbroke Handicap betting at $9 is Greyworm for Hawkes Racing.

Head trainer John Hawkes chases his first Stradbroke success since that of Crawl back in 2001 and his maiden in partnership with sons Wayne and Michael.

Master Of Design five-year-old Greyworm is a 1400m specialist having won three of his five starts over the distance and placed in the other two ahead of the Stradbroke Handicap in Queensland.

He was last seen winning at Randwick on April 18 in the Group 3 Hall Mark Stakes (1200m) and should relish the extra metres in the winter Group 1.

Team Hawkes have also nominated for four-year-old mare Amangiri and the progressive Outrageous as their potential Stradbroke Handicap horses in 2020.

A key Stradbroke Handicap lead-up runs in Brisbane this Saturday with the Group 3 BRC Sprint (1200m) featuring the likes of Godolphin’s Group 1 winner Kementari for last year’s Stradbroke winning trainer James Cummings, The Kosciuszko runner-up Victorem, Gold Coast galloper Tyzone, consistent Commands gelding Bandipur and the Tony Gollan-trained Magic Millions Cup winner Vega One.

Along with Kementari, Cummings has nominated for nine other runners in the hunt for back-to-back Stradbroke Handicap wins including the defending champion Trekking.

Street Cry gelding Trekking has been in strong form since his Stradbroke win including a Group 2 Caulfield victory in the Schillachi Stakes, a third in the $14 million The Everest and second in Rosehill’s Redzel Stakes over 1300m.

After a trip to Perth when fourth in the Group 1 Winterbottom Stakes (1200m) last December, Trekking has had two autumn runs this campaign with his latest producing the second to Greyworm in the Hall Mark Stakes.

He carried a hefty 60kg that day and will again be heavily weighted as such a highly-credentialed runner when he returns in the Stradbroke looking to be the race’s first dual champions since Black Piranha (2009-10).

The Stradbroke Handicap first acceptances close on May 27 followed by the final field on June 2.

Click here for the latest all-in 2020 Stradbroke Handicap betting odds courtesy of Ladbrokes.com.au.

2020 Stradbroke Handicap Nominations