A small field of seven runners did battle in the $80,000 Class 3 speed dash over 1000m and it was rank outsider Lively Dragon who took the honours.

With several speed archetypes like Honest Truth, Media Captain and Sand Lane in the mix, the first three furlongs were expected to be quick. They were except that none of the above led, handing up the role instead to Lively Dragon ($146), who is no slouch in the beginning stakes himself, better remembered for tearing away to a big break in the Group 1 Singapore Guineas last May before knocking up badly to run dead last.

Well ridden by Mohd Zaki, a noted good judge of pace, Lively Dragon did not relinquish his job in the hot seat until favourite Bellwether (Corey Brown), who followed in an ideal one-out one-back position, came jogging up to him.

It looked curtains for the underdog when Bellwether swept past, but as he had been guilty of the same conviction before, he suddenly decided his job was done.

Dragon Spirit (Troy See), who was marauding around, could strike a blow, but against all odds, it was Lively Dragon, the one most had already written off, who was to profit the most from the favourite’s bludging ways.

The Snippetson four-year-old rallied again to get the verdict by a head from Bellwether with Dragon Spirit third another three parts of a length away. The winning time was 59.48 seconds.

Yeoh said Lively Dragon’s win – his fourth from 12 runs, but only his second for him as the first two were recorded for Leticia Dragon – came as a big surprise to him as he finished at the tail at his previous two runs. The Penang-born trainer offered the drop in weight and distance as the two possible explanations for the form turnaround.

“I didn’t expect him to win as his last two runs had been ordinary. Maybe the light weight and the drop in distance helped him tonight,” said the man of few words.

“He looked beat but Zaki rated him well and he showed great fighting spirit to come back again.”

Zaki was just as surprised by the win, saying he just followed Yeoh’s instructions to the letter.

“The trainer just told me that with his light weight, I had to go in front,” said Zaki.

“Then wait for the home straight and do my best. I thought we lost but then he fought back again.”

Lively Dragon has brought his earnings past the $150,000 mark for the Friendship Stable.