It was a total team effort in the top-tier races at Batavia Downs on Wednesday (July 31) as horses trained by Jim Clouser Jr., driven by Jim Morrill Jr., and owned by Burke Racing and Weaver Bruscemi won both fillies and mares Opens in coast-to-coast fashion.
It had been nine weeks since Miss Mary Mach cut the mile in a race, but it finally happened again and produced the same result. Miss Mary Mach beat the best mares on the grounds in the $12,500 distaff Open Handicap.
Leaving from post one, Miss Mary Mach seated the field and Morrill set a pace that was comfortable for his mare. They went to the quarter in :27.2 and the half in :56.3, where Heavens Diva (Kyle Cummings) drew near the leader and made it interesting to three-quarters in 1:24.4. But shortly after that station, Miss Mary Mach dug in, put away the competition around the last turn and paced away down the lane to win handily in 1:53.1, a new seasonal mark and just one-fifth of a second of her lifetime mark.
It was the ninth win in 25 starts this year for Miss Mary Mach ($3.60), who now has earned $65,262 in 2019.
Then in the $11,000 fillies and mares Open II pace, the second half of Clouser’s alliteration entry was Blue Bell Bonnie, who also left from post one and dictated the pace.
Morrill found himself on the point with Blue Bell Bonnie before the turn and, with no one mounting a challenge to the half, backed it off to a pedestrian :59.2 first half. Finally, Machs Echo (Drew Monti) rolled up the rim, got close to the front runner at the five-eighths pole, and forced a :28.2 third split. But Morrill leaned back and raised the lines a bit, and the mare did the rest herself. Blue Bell Bonnie paced away with no urging down the lane to win by a length in 1:56.
Blue Bell Bonnie ($3.60) scored her fourth win of the year in Wednesday's effort.
Both Morrill and Clouser picked up one additional win during the card, giving them each three to lead their respective categories for the night.
Racing resumes at Batavia Downs on Saturday (Aug. 3) with post time at 6 p.m.
(Batavia Downs)