Randwick sees 100-1 upset as Alice Mae claims victory

Trainer Matt Smith has recently achieved notable results with placegetters at substantial odds, but he reports that he has no recollection of training a Saturday metropolitan winner at odds exceeding $101, as Alice Mae did.

Punters largely dismissed the mare's chances, yet she managed to force her way clear from the midfield pack and mounted a determined surge along the outside to capture the B&J Guttering & Metal Roofing Handicap (1800m) by a margin of three-quarters of a length from Shangri La Impact, who was a $3.50 chance.

Smith mentioned that while he has had runners like Dezignation start at $151 when finishing second to Green Spaces in the ATC Australian Derby, he cannot recall any of his horses winning at odds of one hundred to one.

"That might be the first. But I've had a run of 100-1 shots running second and third in the last twelve months, so it's good to get one up," Smith remarked.

"It was a bit of a shock, but we'll take it."

This was Alice Mae's seventh start of the current preparation at Randwick, during her first campaign under Smith's guidance.

Despite the unexpected nature of the victory, Smith indicated that he had anticipated a competitive showing, as the five-year-old mare had been improving and required time to reach peak fitness.

"It was just a matter of getting the miles into her," Smith commented.

"She's an older mare, and she has taken a while to get fit.

"She has never had a staying preparation before. We're training her differently to what she would have been trained previously, and we're giving her a chance to get over a bit of ground."

Smith also expressed his satisfaction with the performance of stablemate Hammoon Heroine, who finished sixth, and suggested that she would be a horse to monitor when she is aimed at longer distances.

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