Bam’s Bliss Kiss seeks first stakes score in $200K NYSSS Park Avenue

Clear Stars Stable and Mitre Box Stable’s dual winner Bam’s Bliss Kiss returns to stakes company in Sunday’s $200,000 Park Avenue division of the New York Stallion Stakes Series, a 6 1/2-furlong sprint for eligible New York-sired sophomore fillies, at Aqueduct Racetrack.

Trained by David Duggan, the New York-bred Solomini dark bay was last seen leading wire-to-wire in a 2 1/4-length state-bred optional claiming victory on March 21 over course and distance under regular pilot Luis Rivera, Jr. She showed the way through splits of 23.07 seconds, 47.32 and 1:13.47 over the fast footing and had a 6 1/2-length advantage at the stretch call before driving home strongly to fend off Sassy Shenanigans in a final time of 1:20.51. The effort was awarded a 70 Beyer Speed Figure.

“She’s doing very good and we’re ready to roll,” Duggan said. “I think the six and a half furlongs is a tad long for her, but still, she got it done last time. She’s a small, whippy little thing, and this is a good spot for her. Hopefully she’ll get a good break, and it will be a catch-me-if-you-can type thing.”

Bam’s Bliss Kiss debuted sprinting 5 1/2 furlongs on turf in August at Saratoga Race Course and finished a pacesetting third ahead of a switch to dirt for a half-length graduation at the Big A going the Park Avenue distance in October. She then finished off-the-board in a pair of restricted stakes here, landing fourth in the six-furlong Key Cents and eighth in the seven-furlong NYSSS Fifth Avenue in December to close out her juvenile campaign.

“Eventually, I think she’ll gravitate back to turf – she’s tiny,” Duggan said. “We’ve gotten quite lucky that she handles dirt, and I think eventually she’ll find a home on the turf. She’s that type of filly; her talent is getting her through right now. She doesn’t look like a true dirt horse.”

In her other start this year, Bam’s Bliss Kiss finished a pace-pressing second in a six-furlong state-bred optional claimer on March 2, an effort that matched her career-best 73 Beyer from the Key Cents. While both of the filly’s wins have come with pacesetting trips, Duggan said he is confident Bam’s Bliss Kiss is adaptable as well.

“She can rate, but I think if she breaks smart, we’ll try to control it on the lead,” Duggan said. “She’s very ratable if it dictates to be that way. It won’t be the end of the world if that’s the case.”

Bam’s Bliss Kiss has one workout published in recent weeks, a three-furlong bullet in 36.67 seconds on February 25 over the Belmont Park dirt training track. Duggan said the filly gets plenty of fitness out of regular trips around the track in the company of a pony.

“She ponies all the time because when we train her on her own, she gets too aggressive,” Duggan said. “She gets plenty out of it, and we let her run through the stretch. She’s sharp right now.”

Bred by Torie D. Gladwell, Bam’s Bliss Kiss was a $95,000 purchase at the 2024 OBS Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training and is out of the Into Mischief mare Kiska.

Rivera, Jr. has the call from the inside post.

Trainer Carlos Martin has entered a pair of contenders in the stakes-placed Storm Changer [post 5, Jose Gomez] and two-time winner Royal Event [post 10, Katie Davis].

Peter Kazamias’ Storm Changer makes her first start for Martin after making her first four outings for trainer Dimitrios Synnefias. The New York-bred daughter of Name Changer was last seen finishing off-the-board in the one-mile state-bred Maddie May on March 8 here, but boasts a strong stakes placing after just missing by a half-length to the in-form Bernieandtherose in the local seven-furlong East View one month prior under returning rider Jose Gomez.

“A mile might have been a little too far for her, but who knows? She might have reacted off a huge second-place finish to probably the leading 3-year-old New York-bred filly in Bernieandtherose,” Martin said. “Cutting back to six and a half with Jose Gomez back aboard, I’m excited to run her.”

Storm Changer is in search of her first win since a deep-closing debut graduation in November sprinting six furlongs here, winning by one length after closing from 10th-of-11 and 7 3/4 lengths off the pace under Gomez. She has raced much closer to the pace in her three starts since, and Martin said he expects the same from her on Sunday.

“I think the main thing is Jose Gomez got the best out of her,” Martin said. “She’s a filly that can put herself in a good position and she’s tactical, so I would love if she can sit third off a couple speeds and make that one run and get first jump on the closers.”

Storm Changer, bred in New York by Kaz Hill Farm, has worked once since joining Martin’s barn, covering a half-mile in 49.30 on Saturday over the Belmont Park dirt training track.

“I’ve had her about two weeks and she’s been pretty straightforward. I worked her a half-mile and she did it easy by herself,” Martin said. “She’s run four times already, so I’m not trying to fix what’s not broken. I just want to keep her happy and healthy, and hopefully she’ll run a big race for us.”

Amanda Laderer, Paul Morongello, Martin Fox, Mark Gonzalez and Jonathan Hirsch’s Royal Event streaks in off back-to-back wins over the local going. Ridden by Katie Davis in both starts, she posted a fourth-out graduation going this distance in a state-bred maiden claimer on March 8, and followed with a 1 1/4-length starter optional claiming victory against open company last out on March 28.

Martin credited the patience and skill of Davis as a key part of the filly’s newfound ability in the afternoons.

“All of a sudden, the lightbulb has gone on and she’s really turned a corner since Katie has gotten her to settle in the mornings,” Martin said. “She always was a filly who trained like she could run a little bit, but she was a little quirky mentally. I don’t know who she beat the other day in the starter, but it was hopefully a race that we can build upon.”

Bred by co-owner Amanda Laderer, Royal Event is out of the winning Freedom Child mare Queendom, whose dam Evil Queen finished third in the 2011 Grade 2 Forward Gal at Gulfstream Park.

Seacoast Thoroughbreds of N. E.'s stakes-placed Howling Wind [post 2, Ruben Silvera, blinkers ON] cuts back in distance after she earned a career-best 68 Beyer for a pacesetting third in the aforementioned Maddie May last out for trainer Jimmy Ferraro.

The chestnut daughter of Solomini has one win in her five starts against state-breds, a second-out graduation on December 14 sprinting seven furlongs here. Her two starts at Sunday’s distance yielded off-the-board finishes in her November debut and in a January optional claimer.

Bred in New York by McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds, Howling Wind is out of the winning Stormy Atlantic mare Typhoon Teri and is a half-sister to six-figure earner Money in the Bank.

Completing the field are the stakes-placed Princess Mischief [post 4, Eric Cancel] for trainer Chris Englehart; maiden-winners Disco Star [post 8, Dylan Davis] for Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse and Fedupwiththefed [post 3, Lane Luzzi] for trainer David Donk; and a trio of maidens in Forever to Go [post 9, Kendrick Carmouche] for trainer Mark Hennig, Decree and Declare [post 6, Manny Franco] for dual Eclipse Award-winning trainer Brad Cox and Lazy Y Legacy [post 7, Samuel Bermudez] for trainer Aaron West.

The Park Avenue is slated as the final race on Sunday’s eight-race card, which co-features the $200,000 NYSSS Times Square in Race 2. First post is 1:10 p.m. Eastern. 

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