Legal Eagle – favourite in each of the last three years at 16-10, 2-1 and 57-20 – is as big as 15-1 for Saturday’s Sun Met with the bookmakers seemingly unable to tempt the legion of punters who have lost faith.

It is now generally accepted that he is not quite as good over ten furlongs – until last year this was only a suspicion – but it was his Queen’s Plate fourth that put the real dampener on his chances for Saturday. Even Anton Marcus has jumped ship.

The stats are against the horse too. Only one seven-year-old (Martial Eagle in 2013) has managed to win the great race in the last 24 renewals. Seemingly, though, that Queen’s Plate fourth was not his true running and he is now showing every sign of being back on song. So much so, in fact, that a place bet in the 13-runner field might yet prove rewarding.

Sean Tarry, who pulled off a 50-1 shock with the six-year-old Alastor in 2005, says: “It has been well documented that I felt he had a flat run last time. We haven’t found anything obvious but there were many things that confirmed he wasn’t quite right on the day – the way he saddled up, the way he cantered down and in running he wasn’t travelling well at all.

“Since then he has perked up tremendously and he has definitely turned the corner. I was very happy with his gallop on the racecourse last Thursday – he went about 1 200m with a companion – and with the way he took that gallop. His attitude and his general well-being are back where I would like them to be.”

Tarry has made up his mind to adopt significantly different tactics and champion Lyle Hewitson will ride him patiently. “Obviously pace will dictate and we will have to wait for the race to unfold.  But we are not intending to have him as handy as he has been in his last two runs,” says the trainer. “Personally I don’t remember the last time we saw a strong pace in the Met but there seems every reason to believe that it will be hot this year. If it is, I am happy for him to come from off them.”

What does the three-time champion trainer make of the opposition? Tarry doesn’t hesitate. “I think it’s a crackerjack field and there are several who are on the up. Even though they don’t have the rating, and don’t appear to have the form, they are continuously improving and the Met has been won by horses with similar profiles in the past. It looks a tough, competitive race with a worthy favourite.”

And does he envisage Legal Eagle getting into the shake-up once again? After all the horse’s Met record – two seconds and a fourth from three runs – is better than that of almost any of the opposition. Tarry gives his head a slight shake, not to signify no but as if he is going over the question in his mind. “It’s hard to be over-confident when you are going into the race off a flat run,” he says slowly. “But I feel there is every reason for me to believe we are through that bad Queen’s Plate period.”

By Michael Clower