The three-year-old New Zealanders dominated the Sydney autumn features and now it could be the Kiwis turn in Brisbane over the winter including two-year-old Qiji Phoenix who features in the JJ Atkins 2017 nominations.

Serena Bay (No. 4) is one of the fillies nominated to take on the boys in the JJ Atkins 2017 over the Eagle Farm mile this winter. Photo: Steve Hart.

Racing Queensland closed nominations for a host of the Group 1 races of the Brisbane Winter Racing Carnival this week including those for the $600,000 Group 1 BMW Australia J.J. Atkins (1600m).

The mile feature for juveniles runs at Eagle Farm Racecourse on Saturday June 10 as one of three elite levels on the Stradbroke Handicap Day card.

JJ Atkins nominations attracted 115 young hopefuls this season including the progressive Not A Single Doubt colt Qiji Phoenix prepared across the Tasman by Donna Logan & Chris Gibbs.

The up-and-comer has won all three of his career starts to date and proved himself over a mile last time out at Ellerslie on April 22 with a nice 1600m win ahead of his trip down under.

Qiji Phoenix will be out to go back-to-back for the New Zealand-trained visitors in the JJ Atkins after the success of the Tony Pike-trained Sacred Elixir (2016) last year who also went on to run second to Prized Icon in the Group 1 Victoria Derby (2500m) in Melbourne during the spring.

Logan & Gibbs have also nominated for lightly-raced Stryker colt Not Usual Trip who has had just the one career run for a win on debut on April 22 back home.

Sydney’s Chris Waller has prepared two recent JJ Atkins winners with Pressday (2010) and Press Statement (2015), and returns in 2017 with eight entries.

Among Waller’s possible JJ Atkins contingent is Snitzel colt Tangled who broke through for a win at start number three on April 19 over 1350m at Wyong.

Peter Snowden enjoyed a JJ Atkins win in 2011 with Benfica and has a total of nine nominations this season that he co-trains with his son Paul.

The standouts for the stable include Blue Diamond Stakes graduate Taking Aim and Inglis Classic fourth-placed Written Tycoon colt Bull Market.

The last filly to beat home the colts and geldings in the JJ Atkins was Linky Dink back in 2009 and there are a host entered out to try and break the drought this winter including Gold Coast-trained Cabin Fever, Waller’s Calaway Gal Stakes winner Champ Elect, the Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott-trained Serena Bay and New Zealander Gold Fever.

A two-year-old daughter of Savabeel, Gold Fever is prepared by Stephen Autridge & Jamie Richards and after a Group 2 win in late February was last seen running third in Group 1 company over 1200m in mid-March.

The JJ Atkins first acceptances close on May 31, 2017.

Check out the full 2017 JJ Atkins nominations below with all-in markets to open shortly at Ladbrokes.com.au.

2017 JJ Atkins Nominations

Eagle Farm Racecourse – 10/06/2017