Spackman enjoyed his first metropolitan winner when Rocket Tiger upstaged a host of expensive two-year-olds to win the $125,000 Boxing Day Plate (1100m).

Rocket Tiger was backed from as much as $101 earlier in the week to $26 and got the cash, as he sat outside the leader, $2.70 favourite Vandoula Lass, and proved too tough for his rivals.

It maintains Rocket Tiger's unbeaten record and provided breeder and owner Noel Penfold with a much-deserved metropolitan win. Penfold races the gelding with his wife Maria and son Scott.

Spackman could not hide his emotions as his talented two-year-old downed runners from the Hawkes, Snowden and Godolphin stables to win at Royal Randwick.

"It's still a buzz," Spackman said.

"I just went and watched it again (on Sunday) to make sure it was true.

"It just means so much to me, and everyone to be honest with you."

Spackman gave credit to Penfold for showing faith in him.

"I had a good chat to Noel this morning and I said it's a shame you weren't there Noel but thanks for having the faith in me," he said.

"A lot of blokes, after he won at Canberra, you would have half thought about sending him somewhere. We're just bush trainers. We don't have their equipment. I'm proud of everyone, it's a team effort. I can't do it by myself."

Spackman dropped Rocket Tiger to the paddock on Sunday morning, where the son of Cluster will have a three-week spell.

From there, he will return for a big campaign that will feature a Wellington Boot or Black Opal, and ultimately a crack at the Golden Slipper.

"We'll bring him back in in three weeks and we'll map out some sort of a plan on where we want to go and what we want to achieve," Spackman said.

"My first thing, after he won at Canberra, was a Wellington Boot. That's where I wanted to go. That's where I thought he would be very hard to beat. But after (Saturday), you've almost got to have a look at the Black Opal haven't you? And if he happens to win that, you'd have to have a crack at the Slipper.

"Noel's quite happy to do whatever we decide to do. He just keeps improving, this little horse. He just doesn't know any different."

Rocket Tiger, a home bred, won by a long head in a time of 1:04.27.

It was a good day for Penfold, who also had Crocodile Cod win at Tumut. He is also a part-owner in Ilovethegame, who ran fourth at Caulfield.

Winning jockey, Kathy O'Hara, was full of praise for Rocket Tiger.

"He was super tough. He put his head down when it counted and wanted to win," O'Hara said.

"He was good last start, he was even better here (on Saturday) and he's got a lot of improvement in him. I feel like he will be better when he gets over a little bit further but as he develops as a horse I think he will be right up with this grade."

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