Independence Hall has huge figure advantage in Jerome, gives weight to the field

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – When he shipped Independence Hall to Aqueduct for the Grade 3 Nashua two months ago, trainer Mike Trombetta thought his colt was in tough coming off just a maiden win at Parx Racing six weeks earlier.

“The best anybody would have said was ‘Hey, it’s worth a try,’ ” Trombetta said. “Never did I think he was ready to give that type of performance.”

The performance that Independence Hall gave in the Nashua was nothing short of spectacular. Racing on the pace through a fast early half-mile, Independence Hall romped to a 12 1/4-length victory over eight rivals in the Nashua. His final time of 1:34.66 for the mile translated into a 101 Beyer Speed Figure, the highest attained by any 2-year-old in 2019.

“He went from being what looked like a nice, promising horse to being something you just don’t see every day,” Trombetta said. “That’s a great spot to be in.”

In Wednesday’s $150,000 Jerome Stakes at Aqueduct, Independence Hall looks to be in a great spot to kick off his 3-year-old campaign and start his bid to make the Kentucky Derby on May 2 at Churchill Downs. Independence Hall faces six rivals, none of whom has run nearly as fast as he has in either of his first two starts.

Moreover, he gets to run over the same track and at the same distance as the Nashua with 59 days between starts.

Trombetta said it was due to how fast Independence Hall ran in the Nashua that his owners – Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, Twin Creeks Racing, and Robert and Kathleen Verratti – opted to skip the Grade 2 Remsen here Dec. 7 and await this race. The Jerome offers 17 qualifying points (10-4-2-1) to its top four finishers toward the Kentucky Derby.

“Regardless of how [easy] it may have looked, he still ran very fast, so they thought the safest thing to do was point to the first of the year and be on a surface that he’s run on and at a distance that he’s run at,” Trombetta said.

Trombetta said that Independence Hall did recover quickly from his Nashua victory. He’s had five workouts at the Fail Hill Training Center in Maryland, including a six-furlong move in 1:12.80 on Dec. 10.

“It feels like it’s been an eternity to be honest with you,” Trombetta said. “You feel like you’re sitting on a whole lot for a long time; he’s been real good. I think I’ve given him enough to do. . . . Hopefully, we’ve done enough where he’s ready to show up and do some good.”

In his debut at Parx, Independence Hall broke slow from the rail under Joel Rosario before taking command turning for home and drawing clear in the final three-sixteenths of a mile. Rosario was in California the day of the Nashua, so Jose Ortiz picked up the mount. Trombetta said the only thing he told Ortiz was that Independence Hall was slow out of the gate in his debut.

“I just said pay attention to the break to give yourself a chance, and he did,” Trombetta said. “He jumped him right into the race and he did good from there. I don’t think he needs to be any certain place. He’ll do whatever you ask him to do.”

Ortiz is in from Florida to ride Independence Hall, who will break from post 3. As the only stakes winner in the lineup, Independence Hall will carry 123 pounds, conceding five pounds to the remainder of the field.

The main threats to Independence Hall would appear to be New York-bred maiden winners Prince of Pharoahs and Bourbon Bay.

Prince of Pharoahs, a son of 2015 Triple Crown winner American Pharoah, won a one-mile maiden race versus statebreds by five lengths on Oct. 13 at Belmont.

“I think he needed the time after the maiden race, his works were just a little off,” trainer Linda Rice said. “He seems to have gained a little seasoning since then.”

Prince of Pharoahs will break from the rail under Kendrick Carmouche.

Bourbon Bay has not gotten out of the gate well in either of his first two starts, but he did run well to be second, beaten a neck, in his debut, before coming back to win a six-furlong maiden race by 2 1/4 lengths on Dec. 5.

Inside Risk, a new gelding after running last in the Grade 1 Hopeful and Grade 3 Grey Stakes, Dubai Bobby, Polar Bear Pete, and Celtic Striker complete the field.

The Jerome will go as race 7 on an eight-race card that begins at 12:50 p.m.