A positive performance by Tarpaulin in The Rosebud will set him up for more ambitious assignments this spring.

James Cummings says the decision to scratch Tarpaulin from the Vain Stakes at Caulfield in preference for a Sydney assignment has been made with the colt's future in mind.

The Godolphin three-year-old looked well placed in Melbourne, however, Cummings opted to keep him in Sydney for the Listed Rosebud (1100m) at Rosehill where he will carry 55kg under the Quality Handicap conditions.

He gets in five kilos less than topweight Shangri La Express, but more significantly, Cummings says keeping the horse close to home now will open the door for bigger interstate assignments later, such as the Coolmore Stud Stakes (1200m).

"He is quite nicely weighted in the handicaps as a horse on the way through, rather than the set weights and penalties in Melbourne," Cummings said.

"But it's probably just as important to keep the horse held together and not travelling too much in case he gets further along in the spring for races like the Danehill (Stakes), which is maybe seven weeks later, or even a Coolmore.

"It's a long spring ahead but there is a chance that if I'm very pleased with him this weekend, I've got some time to freshen him up and leave something in the tank for later."

By Harry Angel out of Lonhro mare Shelters, Tarpaulin is a half brother to Godolphin's accomplished sprinter Aft Cabin.

The colt put together successive heavy track wins at the end of his two-year-old season and Cummings saw enough promise in them to raise the bar higher.

With the likes of Group-performers Shangri La Express and High Octane engaged on Saturday, along with emerging talents Gatsby's and Brave One, Cummings views the Rosebud as a valuable spring pointer.

"He is a pretty talented colt and he's got an opportunity to keep proving it," he said.

"If he does so in a pretty deep race in Sydney, Gatsby's is a good horse and a few others, that will bode well for his spring aspirations.

"I think he's in the mix of a bunch of three-year-olds that might go right on with it in the spring. There looks like there is a bit of a team of them and perhaps even a changing of the guard from the good two-year-olds of the autumn."