Her trainer, Michael Pitman, explained a winning drought for the mare prompted him to suggest something different to part-owner Stephen Blair-Edie.
The 5yr-old daughter of Castledale had not run further back than sixth in seven starts since winning an open handicap at Ashburton in December, but the winner's cheques had remained elusive as she tackled the South Island's best horses.
Of the seven starts following, three were at listed level, and the other four races were all features at their respective meetings.
''She had been running in all the best races for a long time and going exactly the same race - third to sixth - but it was having a toll on her competitive spirit,'' Pitman said.
''It's all about winning races at the end of the day. Whether it's $7000 races or $50,000 races, we all love to win and horses are the same.''
So the plan was hatched and Pitman found a race at Ashburton which would suit the mare.
''I sideswiped all the good racing,'' Pitman said.
''I said to Steve `we need to teach her how to win again' and we went to Ashburton.''
The Ashburton assignment, a rating 85 affair over 1600m on May 14, produced the ideal result as Miss Maximuss just got up to win by a nose over Big Energy, but the ambition inside was reignited.
''Since then she's gone ahead in leaps and bounds.
''She just fell in at Ashburton and she didn't have a hard race, but it taught her how to win again.''
Miss Maximuss followed the Ashburton win with a fourth at Riccarton before scoring at Ashburton again on July 5.
Pitman said Miss Maximuss would be seen next in the $100,000 Winter Cup at Riccarton on August 3.
Blair-Edie bought the mare with wife Lynda at the 2009 South Island sale for just $500. He was extolling the virtues of the 5yr-old mare's sire, Castledale, after yesterday's win, which took her career earnings to $166,425.
Miss Maximuss was in Castledale's first crop in 2007 and the Irish-bred sire has also produced Castlzeburg in 2009 to win the Waikato Guineas. Silverdale, from the same crop as Castlzeburg, has won two races this term, and also placed in the Hawke's Bay Guineas.
''[Castledale] only had 20 mares that year,'' Blair-Edie said.
