KEY POINTS:
Mark Sweeney says he slept better on Saturday night than he had for years.
He was paying the price for the adrenalin of winning his first race in more than two years at Tauranga on Saturday.
Sweeney was delighted the win on Son Of Pupil was for his
good mate, local trainer Jim Pender.
"The support was overwhelming, I couldn't keep up with the number of handshakes."
Physically, Sweeney said, he came through his first raceday since he badly smashed his leg in April 2005 in good shape.
"I knew when I wasn't affected by 13 rides at the trials at Te Awamutu on Thursday that'd I'd be good for a raceday."
Sweeney has another top chance from the Pender stable in Joe Dirt in the last race at Avondale on Wednesday.
In the excitement of the moment on Saturday, Sweeney, in jest, offered rival jockey Noel Harris a "high five-type" handshake as the field returned to the birdcage.
It was a take-off of the infamous "silver object" incident Harris and Vinny Colgan were accused of being involved in after Redoute's Dancer's $700,000 Mercedes Derby victory.
On this occasion, Harris moved only his mouth - he laughed and kept his hands on the reins.
Bosson suspended
Opie Bosson will miss Saturday's $120,000 Travis Stakes and the $80,000 Windsor Park Breeders Stakes after being suspended for three racedays at Hastings on Saturday.
Bosson pleaded guilty after being charged with causing interference to St Verdi and in turn to Who Says and Cape Princess in the main sprint.
The leading jockey will begin his suspension after riding at Awapuni on Wednesday.
Bosson won the race on Saturday on Vegas Showgirl, who had been heavily backed to win in her first start following a spell.
The classy mare sprinted quickly at the leaders in the home straight to score impressively.
Hayes defies stats
It was a staggering statistic that David Hayes had not previously produced a group one winner in his home town of Adelaide before Anamato won Saturday's A$250,000 ($280,000) Schweppes Oaks.
When Hayes took over the sole training of the Lindsay Park horses on the death of his father, Colin, in 1999 he had to wait only three months before winning his first Cox Plate with Better Loosen Up.
Five weeks later again he took Better Loosen Up to Tokyo to win what was then the world's richest horse race, the Japan Cup.
For each of the five years before he left Australia to train in Hong Kong, Hayes won every Adelaide and Melbourne premiership.
Yet he didn't win a group one in Adelaide.
Staggering.
Prince Kaapstad exceptional
Prince Kaapstad looked a juvenile of exceptional talent with his debut win at Tauranga on Saturday.
The youngster drew wide, covered ground, but still powered away to win comfortably.
He looked like a young horse that Richard Yuill will be able to place well next season.