"My legs are a bit jelly — I didn't need a tight finish to start off the day," McDonald told Sky Channel.
"He found the line really well — I think those two horses came away from the field, and he toughed it out the best."
He added: "It's been well-documented over the last week how I've matured. Hopefully this is the start of bigger and better things.
"I want to move on, and hopefully this is a good starting point.
"My family made the trip over from New Zealand, and my girlfriend Katelyn [Mallyon] is here, and my best mate Toddy so it's really good."
McDonald added to his spectacular return by winning another race later in the programme with Monasterio and with a couple of placings as well it was as good a day as he could have dreamed of, especially in the ultra competitive Sydney racing scene.
He rides there again on Saturday but has already confirmed to head to Brisbane for the bigger days of the winter carnival there, meaning he will be back in the heat of group one action in a matter of days rather than weeks.
But with one big difference.
When McDonald was disqualified for tipping a punter a winning horse who then placed $1000 on for McDonald to profit from, he was a retained rider for powerhouse Godolphin.
He has returned freelance and it would appear his timing could hardly be better.
Although it will mean less financial security, it also means the former Cambridge jockey can choose which horses he rides for which trainers, with all the main players in Sydney looking for his services.
Waller's stable is obviously the most powerful in Sydney — he won five of the seven races at yesterday's otherwise normal midweek meeting — and he has long been an unabashed fan of McDonald but has Hugh Bowman as his main jockey.
But Waller's racing manager Charlie Duckworth said they were thrilled to be using McDonald's services again after yesterday's comeback win.
"Obviously it was great for James to win on his first ride back," Duckworth said. "It's great to have him back riding for us. It's good for everyone involved."
McDonald could quickly be back at the top of the Australian riding ranks and possibly even better than before he was sidelined.
He has spoken openly about his goal to win the Sydney premiership next season while the Melbourne Cup is still one of his racing dreams.
And as he showed yesterday, McDonald's dreams often come true.
- additional reporting, Racing.com
