Leading Cups candidate Speed Gifted is likely to avoid the weight-for-age age stars when he launches his spring campaign for the Freedman stable at Flemington.The former English stayer, who made a spectacular Australian debut in May, is among 21 entries for Saturday's Group Two Makybe Diva Stakes (1600m) at Flemington while he is also listed with 28 others for the Spring Is The Season Handicap (1700m)."At this stage we are probably more likely to run him in the more winnable race over 1700 metre

Leading Cups candidate Speed Gifted is likely to avoid the weight-for-age age stars when he launches his spring campaign for the Freedman stable at Flemington.

The former English stayer, who made a spectacular Australian debut in May, is among 21 entries for Saturday's Group Two Makybe Diva Stakes (1600m) at Flemington while he is also listed with 28 others for the Spring Is The Season Handicap (1700m).

"At this stage we are probably more likely to run him in the more winnable race over 1700 metres on Saturday as his problem is getting his rating up enough to get into better races," Freedman said.

"The only way he can do that is by winning races and where possible we will run him on the odd occasion where there are ballot free races for one of the Cups."

Freedman said the Group Three Naturalism Stakes (2000m) at Caulfield on September 19, which guarantees the winner a start in the Caulfield Cup, would be Speed Gifted's second run this spring.

Speed Gifted is on the third line of Caulfield Cup betting at $15 with TAB Sportsbet while he is on the fourth line at $21 for the Melbourne Cup and $61 for the Cox Plate.

Racing in the colours of successful French owner Jean-Marc Charmat, Speed Gifted was sent to Freedman after winning two of his eight starts when trained in England by Luca Cumani.

He was having his first start under 2400 metres when he showed explosive acceleration from back in the field to win by 2-1/2 lengths from Count To Zero over 1620m on May 9.

The son of Montjeu was a pick-up for the Freedman stable when Anthony Freedman and stable vet John Walker scouted England last year looking for suitable Melbourne Cup horses.

Six horses were bought for the stable's Ball and Chain Syndicate with prices ranging from 35,000 to 75,000 guineas, but Charmat, who has a large team of horses with Cumani, also expressed interest in Freedman's quest to win a sixth Melbourne Cup.

Freedman said Speed Gifted was a deceptive galloper as his trackwork didn't reflect his ability.

"He is obviously a much better horse race day," Freedman said.

Significantly only four Melbourne Cup winners have contested the Makybe Diva Stakes in the past 20 years while seven Caulfield Cup winners have come via the feature.

This year's entries include 2007 Caulfield Cup winner Master O'Reilly, 2008 Melbourne Cup placegetter C'est La Guerre, 2008 Cox Plate runner-up Zipping, Australian Guineas winner Heart Of Dreams, Victoria Derby winners Kibbutz and Rebel Raider, Liston Stakes winner Predatory Pricer, and Group One winning mare Typhoon Tracy.

Former English mare Unsung Heroine is set to make her Australian debut for David Hayes and will be having only her fifth career start on the way to the Cups.

The five-year-old, who is also entered for the Spring Is The Season Handicap, is a Group Three winner of the Thanks Stakes (2414m) at Cork and was second in the 2008 English St Leger (2937m).