Eighteen-year-old Kyle Harper made a spirited effort to win with 33/1 outsider Roydon Holmes with a bold frontrunning drive. But he had to play second fiddle to his 20-year-old brother Donald, who bided his time before bringing Hayton Brain home with a strong sustained burst.

Hayton Brain, a 13/2 chance who paid handsome tote odds of 12/1, was ninth in the moving line with two laps of the 2536m Cup to travel. Hayton Brain moved to sixth (three wide) at the bell and he got to the front 250m from home and went on to beat the gallant Roydon Holmes by a length, with Spirit of Shard (tenth on the pegs at the bell) flashing home to snatch third place from Phar From A Fake.

The eight-year-old son of Our Sir Vancelot, who is trained and part-owned by Donald Harper, is in the top bracket of WA pacers and will be a leading candidate for all the rich summer carnival feature events.

Hayton Brain, who rated 1.59.3, is the State's leading sprinter and he will surely be hared to beat in the Celebrity Pace at Gloucester Park on New Year's eve.

Lindsay Harper won the Parliamentarians Cup with Franco Swift (2000), Cam Brydon (2001) and Another Party (2002).

The shock of Friday night's Cup was the abject failure of the 3/1 on favourite Scruffy Murphy, who started from No. 3 barrier and failed in a bid to take an early lead.

Roydon Holmes quickly dashed to the front, leaving Scruffy Murphy to work hard without cover. Scruffy Murphy, a brilliant winner at his two previous starts and a winner of 38 races, began to wilt 450m from home and he faded badly to finish last, 58.3m from the winner.

Trainer-driver Justin Warwick was at a complete loss to explain the nine-year-old's failure and a veterinary examination found there was nothing amiss with the gelding. The stewards stood Scruffy Murphy down for six days and ordered that he complete a satisfactory trial. Warwick plans to run him in a trial at Pinjarra or Byford on Sunday morning.

Treble for Suvaljko and double for Huston

Darling Downs trainer Ron Huston brought three horses to Gloucester Park on Friday night --- and he went home with three winners.

He is the trainer of Umere Road and Lord Washington, each of whom won decisively, and he was the caretaker trainer of Shipps Supreme, who led and won easily.

All three pacers were driven by 39-year-old Shannon Suvaljko, who landed a double with Homer Lavros and Baby James a week earlier.

Huston and Suvaljko got the ball rolling when 5/2 equal favourite Umere Road dashed to an earl lead and strolled to victory over Fake Occasion (who had worked hard in the breeze) in the 2130m Luisini Winery Stakes for mares.

Umere Road, owned by Lynda Huston, is a promising five-year-old who has had only 24 starts for seven wins, seven placings and stakes of $40,477. She won twice from 11 starts in New Zealand and now has had 13 starts in WA for five wins.

Lord Washington, favourite at 2/1, started from barrier eight in the D'Orsogna Continental Stakes, and he put the issue beyond doubt after beginning speedily and taking the lead after 300m.

He went on to score by a length from Nautical Star, with Sunnyside Lass flashing home from eighth at the bell to be an eye-catching third.

In the previous event, the Tony Pantano Handicap, Suvaljko had an armchair drive when Shipps Supreme set the pace and won by 7m from Silvertail Icon.

TILBROOK CASHES IN WITH SHIPPS SUPREME

Byford trainer Peter Tilbrook knows a bargain when he sees one and he certainly has no regrets that he outlaid $3000 to buy veteran pacer Shipps Supreme in a claimer at Gloucester Park on October 11.

The New South Wales-bred nine-year-old by Shipps Scorch has raced every week since then and he boosted his earnings for Tilbrook to $19,915 in the space of five weeks when Shannon Suvaljko drove him to an easy victory over Silvertail Icon and Kingsford in the 2096m Tony Pantano Handicap at Gloucester Park on Friday night.

Tilbrook had driven Shipps Supreme on the previous four Fridays for thirds behind Korlim Garry and Spot The Ace and seconds to Alberts Fantasy and Im Themightyquinn. He gave the drive to Suvaljko when he decided to drive in several races (without success) at Northam on Friday night.

Shipps Supreme, previously trained by Amanda Suvaljko, ended a losing sequence of 24 when he took the lead after 400m and was untroubled to cover the final 800m in 58.8sec.

Suvaljko, who had driven Shipps Supreme to his previous win, by a head over Next Rumour at Gloucester Park in August 2007, is one of 25 reinsmen who have handled Shipps Supreme in his 122-start career which has produced seven wins in New South Wales and five in WA.

STABLE FOREMAN UPSETS STATE'S LEADING TRAINER

"We've just beaten the boss; I'm not sure I'll still have a job," said jubilant trainer Michael Brennan after Sweet Home Alabama had charged home from the rear to snatch a thrilling last-stride head victory over heavily-backed 7/4 favourite Power In Disguise in the D'Orsogna Italian Sprint at Gloucester Park on Friday night.

Brennan is the foreman for WA's leading trainer Gary Hall sen., who prepares Power In Disguise. Brennan is a part-owner and trainer of Sweet Home Alabama.

Gary Hall jun., who had driven Sweet Home Alabama in all his eight WA starts since arriving from Victoria, elected to handle Power In Disguise, who surged home, three and four wide, from sixth at the bell to burst to the front 80m from home.

He raced clear and looked all over a winner before Shayne Cramp brought Sweet Home Alabama with a powerful burst, out wide, to get up in the final stride. Cramp had followed the three-wide run of Power In Disguise in the final circuit.

Sweet Home Alabama, a son of Sun Lamp and now a winner of six races in New South Wales and five in Victoria, now has had nine starts in WA for two wins and five placings.

The win of Sweet Home Alabama completed a double for Cramp, who drove veteran Demoralizer (7/4 on) to an easy all-the-way victory over Well That's Life and Wayne Rooney in the D'Orsogna Family Classic Claiming Stakes.

The Total Strategy syndicate, headed by Mark Congerton, outlaid $5000 to claim Well That's Life, who trailed the pacemaker Demoralizer before fighting on doggedly.

FREMANTLE CUP BECKONS THE MIDNIGHT ROCKET

Vastly-improved six-year-old The Midnight Rocket will be set for the rich Fremantle Cup at Gloucester Park on January on January 9 after another brilliant victory at Gloucester Park on Friday night.

Trained by Alana Williams and driven to perfection by her husband Grant, The Midnight Rocket (9/2) started from 10m and was last in the field of nine with two laps to travel before he moved to seventh (three wide) at the bell.

Then Williams took the gelding four wide 300m from home and he sprouted wings to burst to the front in the final 35m to score from the pacemaker Whosyourdaddy (11/4) and the 2/1 favourite Live To Reign.

The win took the son of Pacific Rocket to an M5 mark. He has been in spectacular form this season, with his ten starts producing six wins, two seconds, a fourth and a fifth.

"He's thriving and I've never seen him looking better," Williams said. "We keep starting him and he keeps winning. I never thought he'd get to the mark he's got to. He's got to be a Fremantle Cup hope."

The Midnight Rocket's win completed a double for Williams, who won the Vite Italiene Stakes with 6/1 chance Ona Wingandaprayer, who settled in ninth place before starting a three-wide move 1100m from home.

Ona Wingandaprayer sustained his strong burst to get to the front in the final 100m. He sprinted the final 800m in 57.9sec. and held on to score by a head from the fast-finishing Watta Bonamax, with the 6/4 on favourite Gransagenic a most unlucky third.

Gransagenic was beaten out from barrier one and was hopelessly trapped three back on the pegs for most of the way. Gransagenic was badly blocked for clear passage in the final circuit and he was flying home, and still hampered for room, in the closing stages.

Ken Casellas