McCarthy still puzzled by Independence Hall's Malibu performance

Independence Hall would not have defeated Charlatan in the Grade 1 Malibu Stakes on Dec. 26 at Santa Anita, but the lackluster fifth by Independence Hall remains a mystery. Now two weeks later, trainer Michael McCarthy is still scratching his head.

“I have no excuse for him, really, other than the maybe that racetrack wasn’t to his liking,” McCarthy said this week. “That’s the only thing I can come up with.”

Independence Hall, runaway winner of the Grade 3 Nashua Stakes at Aqueduct as a 2019 juvenile, entered the Malibu off a sharp allowance comeback at Del Mar. But in the Malibu, he chased from third position and came up empty. He finished next to last, losing by 9 3/4 lengths.

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“He was tearing down the barn the next day,” McCarthy said. “I just don’t know. I have to draw a line through it.”

Independence Hall, 4 for 7, was scheduled for his first post-Malibu breeze on Friday. His next start is to be determined.