At Ascot on Saturday the Tracey Bartley-trained Sniper’s Bullet claimed victory in the $500 000 Group 1 Kingston Town Classic (1800m) with local hero Damien Oliver aboard.

The six-year-old put on an impressive display of speed and ability, overcoming his wide draw to defeat his rivals and atone for his third to Niconero in the race last year. It was the Bite The Bullet gelding’s second Group 1 victory in Perth this season, coming on the back of his sensational win in the Railway Stakes (1600m) two weeks earlier.

Sniper’s Bullet ($5) beat home a gallant God Has Spoken ($9) with odds-on favourite Scenic Shot ($3.10) coming in a fast-finishing third. The winner clocked a very sharp 1:46.96 seconds over the 1800m, a mere 0.06 seconds outside of Niconero’s race record set last year.

Pacesetter Dante’s Banquet ridden by Danny Miller set a blistering cadence from the barriers while Oliver masterfully positioned Sniper’s Bullet in an excellent spot before pulling out a sharp burst of acceleration on the straight, stealing the lead and running home first.

It was Oliver’s first Kingston Town victory and came after he last week successfully appealed a one month suspension.

Sniper’s Bullet now boasts a record of eight wins from 34 career starts.

2009 Kingston Town Classic Results: