David Hayes expects Jacquinot Bay to be hard to beat in the Listed Winter Championship Final after the rising nine-year-old took out his second heat of the series at Flemington.

Jacquinot Bay has been aimed at the Winter Championship Final (1600m) on July 9 and after a first-up win over 1400m at Flemington earlier this month, the gelding backed it up with another win over the same course and distance in Saturday's Brian Beattie Handicap.

Hayes praised jockey Michael Walker for his ride, saying the hoop realised there wasn't going to be a lot of speed in the six-horse field and had topweight Jacquinot Bay outside the leader Rhythm To Spare and in the right spot.

Jacquinot Bay ($3.80) hit the front at the 300m and held off By The Grace ($4.80) by a neck with a short half-head to She's Clean ($9.50).

"I thought this might have been a bit of a risk-race today. But to his credit he's got through it," Hayes said.