Apprentice Dylan Dunn felt the wrath of stewards before atoning with a well-judged ride aboard Afleet Esprit at Caulfield.

Dunn received an eight-meeting suspension at the Moonee Valley meeting on Friday night but bounced back to claim the Pancare Foundation Plate at Caulfield.

Co-trainer David Hayes praised the ride of Dunn who joined the Lindsay Park team in January.

Easy in the betting, Afleet Esprit ($14) scored a last-stride win over Japhils ($8.50) to win by a short half-head with Pilly's Wish ($14) a length away third.

"I think he's a kid going places," Hayes said.

"The improvement graph on him in the last three months has been amazing.

"He could have got that terribly wrong, but he got it terribly right."

Afleet Esprit was making a return to winner's enclosure for the first time in 12 months after scoring at the corresponding meeting last year.

Off the back of three wins in her first four starts, Afleet Esprit won the Thousand Guineas Prelude over 1400m last year.

However Hayes plans keeping the daughter of Bel Esprit to shorter trips over the spring carnival.

"It's amazing how lightning strikes," Hayes said.

"She won the Thousand Guineas Prelude last year off a string of wins and these mares sometimes hit form at the same time every year.

"In the next six weeks there's rich pickings for this sort of mare every couple of weeks."