James Cummings said he wouldn’t be surprised to see progressive three-year-old Hair Trigger step up when he makes his black-type debut in Saturday’s The Rosebud 2016 at Randwick Racecourse.

Glyn Schofield rides James Cummings’ 2016 Golden Rose hope Hair Trigger in Saturday’s The Rosebud at Randwick. Photo: Taron Clarke.

The $100,000 Listed The Rosebud (1200m) on Missile Stakes Day kicks off the official campaign trail for three-year-olds heading towards a September 10 run in the lucrative $1 million Group 1 Golden Rose Stakes (1400m).

That Rosehill Gardens elite level is a Sydney Spring Racing Carnival feature Cummings won back in 2014 in partnership with his late great grandfather Bart Cummings with Hallowed Crown (2014).

Hallowed Crown didn’t run in The Rosebud but he did win the Group 3 Run To The Rose (1200m) a fortnight before his first Group 1 victory, a double also completed in 2015 by the John O’Shea-trained Exosphere.

Cummings’ father Anthony meanwhile is also a dual Golden Rose winning trainer having taken out the spring showdown with On Air (1997) and Duporth (2008).

He also prepared the beaten favourite in 2011 when Smart Missile ran second to the Ron Leemon-trained winner Manawanui.

It is this kind of form and experience Cummings Jnr is drawing on ahead of a possible 2016 Golden Rose bid with Hair Trigger who needs to show his potential by turning up for The Rosebud, a race his trainer took out with Eurozone in 2013, this weekend.

Cummings also drew comparisons to 2014 Golden Rose runner-up Scissor Kick, who was prepared by rival trainer Paul Messara, who on that year’s Rosebud and Group 3 Up & Coming Stakes (1300m) at Randwick on the back of a Canterbury win in the winter.

“We’re bringing a horse that raced in excellent fashion last start, and I think that considering Scissor Kick came out of a similar race at Canterbury before winning the Rosebud, it’s a good sign,” Cummings told Racenet.

“So we’ll see whether he’s up to it but he’s fit and well and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him step up to the mark.”

The gelding is certainly bred for a Golden Rose bid being a son of the aforementioned Smart Missile, but Cummings said they were taking things on a race by race basis.

“I’m well aware of all the races that are there and I’m well aware of the necessity of pulling up stumps when the horse tells me so we can take him run by run,” he said.

“We know what’s there but we’ll be guided by how the horse performs and how he recovers.”

Hair Trigger has had three starts to date including a maiden win two back at Wyong on June 30 before a good last start third behind Tango Rain and Thronum in the wet at Canterbury over 1200m on July 23.

Randwick is currently rated a Heavy (10) and so that previous run on a wet track will work in favour of Hair Trigger as well as the Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott-trained Thronum who is also accepted for The Rosebud.

The Peter & Paul Snowden-trained Mediterranean, to be ridden by Blake Shinn, is current $2.30 in The Rosebud betting at Ladbrokes.com.au.

The last start Canterbury winner, who also took out a 1050m trial at Randwick on July 29, is another son of Smart Missile and pays $15 in futures Golden Rose Stakes odds led by his star Golden Slipper winning stablemate Capitalist ($4.40).

Hair Trigger is only rated a $41 hope in those all-in Golden Rose markets, a price sure to firm if he can take out The Rosebud on Saturday, and Cummings is wary of how he’ll stack-up against the favourite.

“You can’t ignore the obvious talent of Mediterranean – he trialled very well and then put them away easily first-up,” he said.

“But this a quality handicap so we get the opportunity to see whether the Canterbury form is good enough for the Rosebud.”

Hair Trigger jumps from the outside alley with Glyn Schofield aboard and is third favourite for this weekend at $4.20 with only Mediterranean and Thronum ($3.20) – drawn the rails with Tommy Berry to ride – shorter in betting.

Back your favourites in The Rosebud this weekend and for the upcoming Golden Rose next month online at Ladbrokes.com.au now – home of Odds Boost!