Independence Hall works at Fair Hill for the Jerome

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Independence Hall, dominant winner of the Grade 3 Nashua Stakes on Nov. 3, worked five furlongs in 1:01 Wednesday morning over the Tapeta training track at Fair Hill in Maryland. He is preparing for a start in the $150,000 Jerome Stakes at Aqueduct on Jan. 1.

Trainer Michael Trombetta said Independence Hall worked over the synthetic surface because the main dirt track still was wet from rain earlier in the week. Independence Hall has had all three of his breezes over Fair Hill’s synthetic surface since winning the Nashua by 12 1/4 lengths.

“This was a nice enough work without overdoing it,” said Trombetta, who worked Independence Hall in company with the 4-year-old Maryland-bred gelding Torch of Truth. “He’ll have one more breeze right after Christmas before we come up.”

Independence Hall, a son of Constitution, won his maiden by 4 3/4 lengths at Parx on Sept. 21 before romping to victory in the Nashua, a race in which he earned a 101 Beyer Speed Figure which remains the highest earned by a 2-year-old this year. The Jerome, like the Nashua, is run as a one-turn mile.

Independence Hall, owned by Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, Twin Creeks Racing, and Rob and Kathleen Verratti, was purposely kept out of the Remsen to give him more time to recover from that fast performance in the Nashua.

“He’s holding his weight excellent, just very happy overall with everything I’ve seen,” Trombetta said.

Nominations for the Jerome close on Saturday.