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Donovans, who has picked his way through restricted races in recent months, will be on trial at Flemington for a crack at the Winter Championship series.

In-form galloper Donovans will make a belated bid to qualify for next month's Winter Championship Final if his winning run continues at Flemington.

The four-year-old has won four of his nine starts and for the first time contests a race beyond 1500 metres in Wednesday's Elantra Handicap (1640m).

"It should really suit him," trainer Shea Eden said. "We have always been looking to get him out to a mile."

Formerly trained by Mick Price, Donovans has always shown promise.

He won his maiden with Price at Cranbourne and transferred to Eden after his fourth start when he pulled up lame at Ballarat on February 12.

He has won three of his four starts for Eden and been adaptable on firm and rain-affected tracks.

He also has breeding on his side, being a son of Testa Rossa and a half-brother to Group Two Autumn Classic winner Stokehouse and the Price-trained two-year-old Malasun, winner of this year's fillies Blue Diamond Preview.

"He has been taking small steps and along the way making his owners happy picking up prizemoney," Eden said.

"If he runs well this week we will certainly look at a heat of the Winter Championship.

Last start Donovans bounced back from a fourth to Ebony Rock in a Benchmark 72 event at Warrnambool with a narrow victory over Seeking Chi over 1500 metres at Sandown on May 23.

Noel Callow is unbeaten in three rides on Donovans but Dunn is his replacement on Wednesday while he competes in a jockeys' series in Malaysia.

The Winter Championship comprises seven heats with two more at Flemington on Saturday and on June 23 and others at Bendigo on June 17 and Warrnambool on July 1 before the $152,000 final (1600m) at Flemington on July 7.