Max Contract emerges victorious in Shady Daisy

Saturday, August 6, 2022

Max Contract won for the fourth time in a row, capturing Saturday’s (Aug. 6) $92,300 Shady Daisy, for 3-year-old female pacers, by a nose over Sweet Treasure in 1:49.3 at the Meadowlands. Treacherous Dragon finished third.

Sweet Treasure left quickly from post four and led around the first turn before a parked-out Max Contract and driver Andy Miller grabbed the front just as the duo hit the quarter-mile mark in :26.1.

Boudoir Hanover moved to the lead on the backstretch and took the field to the half in :53.2 and remained on top as she reached three-quarters in 1:21.3.

In the stretch, Max Contract was boxed in before finding room up the inside late and storming to the front to get to the wire just ahead of the also charging Sweet Treasure.

“I thought I was in a great spot, and then (Boudoir Hanover) kind of came up empty and I was searching for room,” Miller said. “Unfortunately, she kind of got slowed down there turning for home, but when she got clearance, she took off again. She’s pretty versatile, I think.”

Max Contract is trained by Julie Miller for owners Andy Miller Stable, Steve Heimbecker and Jean Goehlen. The daughter of Huntsville-Big McDeal raced only once at age two, winning in 1:52.1, and is four-for-five this season. The filly, bred by Steve Jones, has earned $164,750 lifetime. Her victory in the Shady Daisy was her third consecutive on the Grand Circuit.

“I have to give a lot of credit to my owners, Jean and Steve; they believed in me when I told them I thought this filly could be special at three,” Julie Miller said. “They let me prove it to them.”

Max Contract, the 4-5 favorite, paid $3.60 to win.