Hennig gets help from Florida
OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Trainer Mark Hennig's stable has not enjoyed as much success this winter in New York as it has in Florida. Perhaps a few horses who wintered in Florida can help turn around his fortunes in New York.
Hennig last week sent four horses to New York, including Storm Minstrel, who has a chance at knocking off probable odds-on favorite Bank Audit in Wednesday's featured $54,000 allowance race at six furlongs.
Wednesday was originally scheduled to be the opening of Aqueduct's main track. Management, however, decided to extend the inner-track meet by one week. Post time will be pushed back to 1 p.m. Eastern beginning Wednesday.
Hennig is 10 for 44 at Gulfstream Park while his stable is only 3 for 50 at Aqueduct.
has not run since taking the restricted Safely Kept Stakes at Aqueduct on Nov. 20. She has been working regularly at the Payson Park training center in Florida. Hennig has had good success bringing horses back off extended layoffs.
Storm Minstrel does her best running from off the pace, and will likely have to run down Bank Audit.
drops into allowance company one month after finishing second in the Correction Handicap as the 1-2 favorite. Prior to that loss, Bank Audit had reeled off three straight wins, including a dominant score in the Interborough Handicap.
In the Correction, Bank Audit got shuffled back behind a slow pace and was trying to bear out, according to jockey Norberto Arroyo Jr. Trainer Frank Laboccetta Jr., who only had Bank Audit for two weeks prior to that race, thought his filly ran well in the Correction and believes this is the perfect spot to start a new win streak.
"Travelator outbroke her and she was stuck behind that horse,'' Laboccetta said, recalling the Correction. "I don't know if Arroyo lost his bearings or what, but she would have never been that far back if that horse didn't outbreak her. She flew home. I didn't think it was as bad a race as everybody says it was.''
Bank Audit blew out three furlongs in 35.86 seconds on Saturday.
Our Royal Dancer finished fourth behind subsequent stakes winners Cativa and Lavender Lass in an optional claiming race on Jan. 20. That was her first start off a seven-month freshening.