A disappointing performance from his main Brisbane carnival contender has left trainer Darren Bell mystified.

But while Eight's Party is off to the spelling paddock, Falino has stepped up to stake his claims over the winter.

Bell went to the Sunshine Coast confident Eight's A Party would put his stamp on the longer races over the carnival in the Summerveld Stables Hcp (1800m).

But Eight's A Party, an impressive winner at his two previous starts, never got out of last place.

Bell said he was devastated by the run which was totally out of character for Eight's A Party.

"Jim (jockey Byrne) said he felt like he had jarred up on the track. He has never shown so little in a race before," Bell said.

"Eights A Party is off to the spelling paddock and we will try to sort out what happened."

Things changed for the better when seven-year-old Falino won the Listed Bribie Hcp (1000m).

The Bribie is one of Queensland's oldest sprints and is usually a good guide to the feature races.

Falino was a smart younger horse when trained by Jeff Caught and won the Group Three BTC Classic as a three-year-old and also travelled to Sydney to win at Rosehill that season.

"He developed a throat problem and he was going to be retired. His owners decided to try a throat operation and he has since won four races for us," Bell said.

"There are few nice stakes races coming up for him in the next few weeks. If he gets a dry track and speed on in his races he can hit the line very hard,"

The win also continued the good run for Bell with jockey Brad Stewart who has ridden three winners for the trainer from just five rides this season.

"There is no one better than Brad when he is on song. His ride on Falino was near perfect," Bell said.