Lankan Rupee is ready to reel off closing sectional times that trainer Mick Price says should be fast enough to carry the sprinter to a second-straight Newmarket Handicap win.

Price has had Lankan Rupee ridden off the speed this campaign, resulting in a outstanding first-up win in the Lightning Stakes.

"He has to be ridden properly against the big guns to beat them and we've spent a fair bit of time getting him to relax," Price said.

"If he relaxes like the other two relax and if you have the three of them all relaxed, it will be which horse can run the best sectional from the 600 (metres)."

Price's decision to switch Lankan Rupee's racing pattern was made after the horse was left as a sitting shot in the Darley Classic during the Melbourne Cup carnival.

The Newmarket at Flemington on Saturday has brought together the three highest-rated sprinters in the world during 2014 for their first meeting since that epic clash.

In that contest it was Terravista defeating Chautauqua with Lankan Rupee tiring into third place.

Price said not having to worry about Buffering and getting away from Moonee Valley were other key ingredients in Lankan Rupee's return to winning form in the Lightning Stakes.

It was only after his two early defeats at Moonee Valley last campaign that convinced Price Lankan Rupee was not a Moonee Valley horse, despite him winning the Group One Manikato Stakes .

Lankan Rupee has drawn widest of the nine Newmarket acceptors with his two main rivals Terravista and Chautauqua drawing one and three respectively.

Three-year-old Brazen Beau, to be ridden by Hong Kong-based Joao Moreira, has gate five.

Chautauqua holds favouritism at $2.90 ahead of Lankan Rupee at $3.20 with Terravista and Brazen Beau sharing the third line at $5.50.

Price said Lankan Rupee would head to Sydney for the TJ Smith at Randwick on April 4 after which he will consult the gelding's owner Muzaffar Yaseen about a trip to Brisbane.

"I have a thing in my head that at the end of each preparation I don't want to bottom him out because I think Takeover Target won a TJ Smith as a nine-year-old and I would like that to be us," he said.