High class sprinter Sniper's Bullet, renowned for his powerhouse finishes, will be ridden to take up a position just behind the pace after drawing the inside gate in the Group Three Betfair Stakes at Caulfield.Trainer Tracey Bartley said he would instruct jockey Michael Rodd to take advantage of barrier one and not ask too much of the horse for his second-up spring assignment on Saturday."I will be telling him to have him in the first five and hold the fence," Bartley said."The horse is going to

High class sprinter Sniper's Bullet, renowned for his powerhouse finishes, will be ridden to take up a position just behind the pace after drawing the inside gate in the Group Three Betfair Stakes at Caulfield.

Trainer Tracey Bartley said he would instruct jockey Michael Rodd to take advantage of barrier one and not ask too much of the horse for his second-up spring assignment on Saturday.

"I will be telling him to have him in the first five and hold the fence," Bartley said.

"The horse is going to be a little bit soft so if he can hold his ground and be there behind the speed I'm sure he will finish off."

Rodd is familiar with Sniper's Bullet having ridden him twice and finished second on him both times.

He led on Sniper's Bullet when he was run down by All Silent in last year's Group Three AAMI Travel Insurance Stakes (1400m) on Derby Day at Flemington and he had him prominently placed when Gilded Venom beat him in a photo finish in the Group One Railway Stakes (1600m) in Perth.

"Michael's had two goes on him so hopefully he can go one better this time," Bartley said.

He said that he would have liked to have got one more gallop into Sniper's Bullet for Saturday's 1400m race but he expects him to be at his peak for the Group One Emirates Stakes (1600m) on November 7. Last year he finished ninth to All Silent in the feature.

"The horse has probably furnished a bit more this year and looks a bit heavier," Bartley said.

Sniper's Bullet kicked off his spring campaign when he ran on strongly from last on heavy ground to finish third to Gold Trail in the Group Two The Shorts (1100m) at Randwick.

"He ran much better than I thought he would in The Shorts and he goes terrific second-up," Bartley said.

Last year Bartley based Sniper's Bullet at Caulfield but this spring has chosen to stable him in a more relaxed country environment at Patrick Payne's stables at Rockbank in an attempt to emulate his NSW home at Mudgee.

"It is not that he didn't do well at Caulfield last year but I am just trying to emulate home a bit and train him out of similar set up," Bartley said.

"We will try it this week and see how he goes."