She's Beneficial was the sentimental favourite for the Donna Phipot Memorial Handicap at Friday's Bendigo Jockey Club meeting.

She's Beneficial still carries the name of Donna Philpot in its ownership and was ridden by Donna's daughter Jess.

Jess and She's Beneficial, who combined to finish fourth in the same race last year, finished hard down the outside in Friday's event and finished second.

Ironically, the winner of the race was Hann's other runner Elmore Lad, who led all the way.

"For Jess to run second, although she couldn't win it, to quinella it let alone win it... this has been a big target race for me,'' an elated Hann said.

"It's up there with one of the most special wins I've had."

Hann admitted he watched She's Beneficial the entire race and didn't realise Elmore Lad had won until he was past the post.

Elmore Lad ($8) was the outsider of Hann's two runners in the betting, but the trainer wasn't surprised the gelding improved sharply off its last start failure at Donald.

"I thought Elmore Lad would improve today,'' Hann said.

"He went first-up with no trial and he normally fires second up. His first run was a bit of a trial and today he's run up to how he does second up."

It was Elmore Lad's fourth career win from 16 starts. The four-year-old has earnings of mroe than $60,000.

The second placing continued She's Beneficial's consistent preparation.

In five starts this campaign, She's Beneficial hasn't finished further back than five lengths from the winner and has run placings at Sandown and Bendigo.

Bendigo trainers Shane Fliedner and Brendon Hearps also had runners finish second on Friday.

Fliender prepared outsider Travail to run second in the opening event of the day, while Hearps had the well-backed Vungers run second in the final event of the meeting.

Meanwhile,Melbourne's reigning premier jockey Craig Williams has been a dominant force in Flemington Finals Day meetings in recent years and once again he is a major player.

Saturday's meeting is billed as 'Flemington Finals Day' because the races are a culmination of a number of different winter series races in Victoria in the past couple of months.

Williams rode six winners from the nine races at the corresponding meeting last year.

While he had to sit out the 2017 meeting because of a careless riding suspension, the champion hoop also bagged five winners at the 2016 meeting and three the year before that.

Williams' book of nine rides on Saturday includes South Australian visitor Waging War, who was the $4.20 favourite on Friday for the Listed Winter Championship Series Final (1600m), a race the jockey won last year on Magic Consul.

Williams' book of rides also includes short-priced favourite Sure Knee in the Rivette Series Final for three-year-old fillies and stayer Future Score, who was the $3 favourite on race eve for the Banjo Paterson Series Final.

Williams has an 18-win lead over Damien Oliver in the Melbourne jockeys' premiership.