OZONE PARK, N.Y. -- There was more a sense of relief than revelry from the connections of Independence Hall after their excitable colt made a successful, albeit nerve-wracking, 3-year-old debut in Wednesday’s $150,000 Jerome Stakes at Aqueduct. Despite acting up in the paddock to the point where he was saddled on the walking ring and then breaking last, Independence Hall proved too classy for his five rivals, recording a four-length victory in the Jerome to remain undefeated in three starts while earning 10 qualifying points to the May 2 Kentucky Derby. Prince of Pharoahs and Bourbon Bay dead-heated for second, finishing 11 1/4 lengths clear of fourth-place finisher Celtic Striker. Polar Bear Pete and Dubai Bobby completed the order of finish. Inside Risk scratched. Independence Hall was sent off the 1-10 favorite based on his powerful 12 1/4-length victory in the Grade 3 Nashua here on Nov. 3. He acted up in the paddock that day and in the post parade, according to Michael Trombetta. For that reason, Trombetta had sent Independence Hall to Aqueduct from Fair Hill in time to school the horse in the paddock and get him two mornings of training over the track prior to the Jerome. Still, Independence Hall gave his connections some anxious moments in the paddock as he fought his handlers, nearly sitting down at one point, and then kicked the back wall of the saddling stall twice. Trombetta wound up saddling Independence Hall on the walking ring. Independence Hall seemed fine when jockey Jose Ortiz climbed aboard and he didn’t act up while on the track warming up. In the gate, Independence Hall was moving and had turned his head just before the doors opened. He broke last. The slow start enabled Ortiz to guide Independence Hall, who broke from post 2, to get outside and in the clear. He was three wide, only a half-length behind pacesetting Dubai Bobby and a half-length in front of Celtic Striker through a half-mile in 47.47 seconds. Independence Hall moved to the lead entering the far turn. He was 1 1/2 lengths clear turning for home while in the three path. Ortiz did have to resort to the whip four times in the stretch and Independence Hall responded, getting his final quarter in 24.73 seconds. “I thought he was going to open up a bit but the track’s very tiring today, it’s a little heavy,” Ortiz said. “He hadn’t run in two months so I don’t worry about it, he did what he had to do and I think he will improve.” Independence Hall, a son of Constitution, covered the mile in 1:37.27 over a track rated good and returned $2.20. “I thought it was good,” a relieved Trombetta said afterward. “Jose said the track’s a bit tiring. He didn’t get away good; this probably got to the bottom of him a little bit because it’s been two months. … I’m just glad to get through it and it’s just one more step in the direction that we want to go.” Trombetta, who noted that Independence Hall did nick himself on his left front ankle, said he will have to work on getting his horse to be calmer pre-race. “I don’t want to call it a problem, but it’s a concern,” he said. Independence Hall was to return to Fair Hill Wednesday night and then head to Tampa Bay Downs to train for the winter. The Grade 3, $250,000 Sam F. Davis at Tampa on Feb. 8 is possible, though Aron Wellman, president of Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, was not committing to any particular race for his next start. Eclipse owns Independence Hall in partnership with Twin Creeks Racing and Kathleen and Robert Verratti. “Everything’s on the table,” Wellman said. “This spot was all about spacing and timing and being able to stay at Fair Hill for the two months, easy ship over here on a track we know he handled at a distance that was going to add foundation to him. We’re going to get him down to Tampa hopefully in the next week or so and everything’s on the table. By starting him now it really allows for a lot of flexibility.”