Trainer Tracey Bartley concedes Typhoon Tracy is the one to beat in Saturday's Futurity Stakes but has warned she'll run into a pretty good weight-for-age performer in his tough gelding Sniper's Bullet.Bartley's Futurity hopes were buoyed by what he described as a sensational workout from his multiple Group One winner at Caulfield on Tuesday morning.Damien Oliver, who'll replace Craig Williams on the six-year-old in the Futurity, was aboard for the 1200m gallop on the course proper."He has done

Trainer Tracey Bartley concedes Typhoon Tracy is the one to beat in Saturday's Futurity Stakes but has warned she'll run into a pretty good weight-for-age performer in his tough gelding Sniper's Bullet.

Bartley's Futurity hopes were buoyed by what he described as a sensational workout from his multiple Group One winner at Caulfield on Tuesday morning.

Damien Oliver, who'll replace Craig Williams on the six-year-old in the Futurity, was aboard for the 1200m gallop on the course proper.

"He has done very well and he worked super this morning," Bartley said.

"He worked over 1200 metres. We worked him exactly like we did in Perth except he went maybe a bit longer because he didn't have that 1400-metre race (in the CF Orr Stakes)."

Despite missing his planned first-up run in the Orr with an elevated white blood cell count, Bartley did manage to get Sniper's Bullet back on track very quickly and he ran a super third in the Group One William Reid Stakes (1200m) at Moonee Valley on February 13.

Bartley doesn't believe the jump from 1200m to 1600m is too big an ask for Sniper's Bullet at Caulfield on Saturday.

"We had him fit enough, he was ready for a rock-solid 1400 metres heading into the Orr and I think you saw that last start (in the William Reid), he was just warming up the last little bit," he said.

The son of Bite The Bullet finished less than half a length behind Turffontein and Wanted in the William Reid but Bartley conceded the gelding was probably just lacking a little bit of zip for that 1200m Group One contest.

"He probably wasn't as sharp as we can have him but his dash up this morning was super. He just zips off the bridle and his last furlong (200m) this morning he really zipped," he said.

Sniper's Bullet has muscled up and furnished into a weight-for-age horse in recent months, putting on 3kg since the William Reid Stakes and 9kg since he claimed the Group One double of the Railway Stakes (1600m) and Kingston Town Stakes (1800m) in Perth at the end of last year.

Only 10 nominations were received for the Futurity including Sniper's Bullet, Typhoon Tracy, Dao Dao and Lord Tavistock.

"It's a big race and they are never easy to win," Bartley said.

"Typhoon Tracy is the horse to beat but she will come across a really good weight-for-age horse on Saturday (in Sniper's Bullet)."

Bartley still hasn't given up hope of an invite to the Dubai Duty Free next month and also has the option of going to the Australian Cup (2000m) after the Futurity or even bringing him to Sydney for the Chipping Norton Stakes (1600m).