Coming off four unplaced runs and without a win since April, Paramount Pete was rated a $41 long-shot to feature in the finish of the Plate – a Benchmark 75 over 1425m.

After settling well under apprentice jockey Kayla Nisbet however, the Gallo Di Ferro gelding overcame a wide barrier draw to storm home down the outside to secure an unlikely victory.

The win was a career best for both trainer and horse but Borland said he had been quietly confident the bookies hadn’t been giving the big chestnut his due.

“It was always going to be a tough race but I thought he was a little over the odds,” he said.

“If someone like [top Canberra trainer] Barbara Joseph was running him he’d probably have been at $8 but people don’t really want to back horses from trainers they don’t know.

“I had a little bit of a punt on him though so it worked out well in the end.”

Having now pulled in nearly $50,000 in prize money, Paramount Pete is easily the star of Borland’s low-profile operation.

It’s a far cry from two years ago when Borland had to do plenty of fast talking to keep Paramount Pete on the track.

After running out of control in just his second race and colliding with a barrier, Paramount Pete’s owners were left wondering whether he was a horse worth continuing with.

“[His owners] wanted to keep him, they were just worried he might charge off again and hurt his jockey,” Borland said.

“I had to do a bit of quick talking just to reassure them that he had a bit of ability and that he was worth going on with.

“I always thought he had something, he’d shown a bit of talent and thankfully he turned out alright.”