Chris Waller's day started perfectly watching son Tyler's pre-school Christmas concert and by the time he got to Randwick he had had two winners, then Saigon Tea made it three in the Christmas Cup.
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"It's good to see him do things like that, he's still a bit shy, but family is very important," Waller said after his late arrival to the track.
It has been a week of highs and lows for the premier trainer. Waller was fined $30,000 and had Metropolitan winner Junoob disqualified because of a positive swab but his mood improved after taking out the first three events at Randwick with Dupe 'Em, Beyond Thankful and Saigon Tea.
"It was a very tough week," Waller said.
"Going back to work on Friday morning, I was a changed person. It's unbearable to go through that, but we're pretty resilient and we're bouncing back quickly."
Waller said it was good to see Saigon Tea silence the knockers who said she was suspect at 2400 metres, but he wasn't expecting the early success.
"You don't think like that. You probably think of the worse in racing as a trainer," he said.
"You do everything to make things happen and some days it works out well but it doesn't happen that often, even with a big stable like ours.
"From a punting perspective, she got beat the first time she tried [at 2400m] when she ran second and I can clearly remember that she wasn't set for that race.
"At her second try she won and once they get there they seem to do it again without any trouble."
Waller had been keen to raise Saigon Tea's value by winning The Matriarch at Flemington on the final day of the spring carnival, but thought she wasn't up to the task and brought her home to Sydney.
And after backing up her win at Rosehill a week earlier she secured the black type success in the Christmas Cup.
"She's a great horse. Looking at her, you wouldn't know she's capable of winning a listed race," Waller said.
A race earlier, 21-year-old second-year apprentice Samantha Clenton had been sourced out by Waller's racing manager Liam Prior to ride Beyond Thankful, which held off Plutorius by a half-head.
"We know what's going on and we know who's riding winners and Liam told me not to be afraid to put this girl on," Waller said. "It's not worth putting a two kilogram claimer on against the top riders, but three kilograms is starting to get there."
Clenton said she didn't put any extra pressure on herself in scoring her first Saturday metropolitan win.
"I try and stay as level headed as I can. If I get out there and get nervous and worry about everything it affects the way I ride," Clenton said. "He hit the front easily but he didn't want to be there when he did so he fought hard.
"I could see he overraced a few times prior and Liam said to me he's had a few quick runs of late that had taken the edge off him but he raced well today."
