Trainer-driver Owen Gilbride opted to start Gransagenic in this M0-class event in preference to the Golden Nugget prelude and his decision should result in the Village Jasper gelding notching his tenth win at his 20th start. 

Gransagenic has drawn perfectly at barrier one and Gilbride will be anxious to get to an early lead in an event in which his chief rivals appear to be another Nugget hopeful in Phlying Pharoah, the consistent seven-year-old Ona Wingandaprayer and Falcons Dragon, a five-year-old who impressed at Gloucester Park on Tuesday of last week when he sustained a powerful burst to beat outstanding young mare Ruby Dazzler. 

Another Nugget candidate, Total Defiance, will start from the outside of the back line in the 2130m IAWCC-Centro Stakes, in which he will clash with the in-form pair Homer Lavros and The Turning Point and the frontrunning Victory Ball, who resumes at barrier one after contesting stands at all his 11 WA starts. 

Total Defiance, trained and driven by Aldo Cortopassi, has won at each of his past six starts and he should carry too many guns for his rivals. 

WARWICK LOOKS SET FOR ANOTHER PARLIAMENTARIANS CUP 

Nine-year-old Scruffy Murphy is racing with such zest and confidence that he should give his trainer-driver Justin Warwick another success in the Parliamentarians Cup at Gloucester Park on Friday night. And to make Scruffy Murphy's task easier, he has drawn ideally at barrier three in the 2536m mobile event.

Scruffy Murphy has given Warwick an armchair drive in winning easily at his past two starts and it is difficult to visualise the veteran pacer being beaten. 

Warwick, who won this event in 1997 with Try A Fluke, is likely to receive strong opposition from New Zealand-bred pacers Tee Pee Village and Smooth Crusa. 

Grant Williams has been engaged to drive Tee Pee Village and Mark Reed will be the new driver for Smooth Crusa.

Each pacer was driven at his most recent start by Chris Lewis, who is serving a ten-day term of suspension. 

Williams drove Maheer Lord to victory in the 2005 Parliamentarians Cup and Reed was successful with 12/1 chance Capitol V when he set the pace and won easily from De Galdearno and Hilton Adonis 12 months ago when the race was decided from a stand over 2503m. 

Capitol V, with Stephen Reed in the sulky, will start from No. 5 barrier in this year's Cup, while Money Magnet, winner of the Cup in 2004, will start from the outside of the front line. 

Smooth Crusa, trained by Ross Olivieri, impressed at his WA debut last Friday week when he was trapped very wide in the first lap and then worked hard without cover before fighting on grimly to finish third behind Scruffy Murphy and Tee Pee Village. 

Ken Casellas