Legal Consent goes for second leg of triple

The consistent New York-bred colt Legal Consent, who has been first or second in all six starts this season, makes a rare attempt around two turns in Saturday's $150,000 New York Derby at Finger Lakes.

The 1 1/16-mile race for 3-year-old statebreds, which drew a field of six, is the second leg of the Big Apple Triple. Last year, Tin Cup Chalice became the first horse to sweep the three-race series, earning a bonus of $250,000. The series concludes with the $150,000 Albany, a 1 1/8-mile race at Saratoga, on Aug. 26.

In his only previous races going two turns, both over the inner track at Aqueduct, Legal Consent was a distant third in the Damon Runyon and a well-beaten second after he had to steady going into the first turn of a first-level allowance.

A winner of three straight, Legal Consent comes off a hard-fought half-length victory as the odds-on favorite in the seven-furlong Mike Lee at Belmont, the first leg of the triple.

He will be reunited with jockey Dennis Carr, who rode him to victory in last fall's $318,000 New York Breeders Futurity at Finger Lakes.

Slevin, second in the Mike Lee, is the only one of the four rivals that Legal Consent beat that day who is back for another crack. An off-the-pace sprinter trained by Carl Domino, Slevin will be trying two turns for the first time, though he did decisively win a one-turn mile at Aqueduct in April.

Uncle T Seven is an intriguing alternative to the two most logical contenders.

Uncle T Seven, who has been training on a synthetic surface at Stonebridge Farm near Saratoga, had a troubled trip when third to Legal Consent in the 6 1/2-furlong Professor Stakes on May 6. In his lone two-turn start on dirt, Uncle T Seven missed by a nose against open company in the Continental Mile at Monmouth last summer.

Pocket Cowboys steps up to stakes company for the first time. No worse than second in his last four races, he is ideally drawn on the rail and is the likely pacesetter.

* Tin Cup Chalice will be inducted into the Finger Lakes Hall of Fame on Saturday. After the running of the sixth race, a plaque will be presented to Tin Cup Chalice's owners. Tin Cup Chalice was euthanized in April after a training accident.

Tickets for commemorative Tin Cup Chalice/New York Derby T-shirts will be distributed to the first 1,000 Player Extras members who visit the track Saturday, beginning at 11:30 a.m.