MADISON, Wis. — Daisy June gets better with each Big Air jump, so on her last chance Saturday to make the second round of competition she had to leap at least 21 feet, 8 inches to get off the bubble and into the finals at the ESPN Great Outdoor Games presented by Dodge.

With owner Will Guttman sending her off the deck perfectly, Daisy June nailed it with inches to spare, unleashing a 21-foot, 8-inch jump at the Alliant Energy Center before a sweltering crowd of thousands of fans packing the bleachers cheering her on.

To make things more interesting, she had to overcome the bubble mark set by Autumn and Becky Havlinek on the previous attempt. Autumn broke the mark by 4 inches, putting the pressure on Daisy June in the event's final jump of the day.

"Man, that was down the very last one!" said Guttman, who lives in Polson, Mont. "The thing with her, though, is she gets consistently better with each jump. I learned that a long time ago in training and playing with her, and I just have to stay confident with her throughout the entire competition."

In the first round, the 12 dogs had to take all three jumps without passing, no matter what their length. That meant the bubble could change throughout the contest, which it did until the final minutes.

Dash, a Chesapeake Bay retriever owned by Ken Butler, held the bubble mark at 21-7 and watched as three of the last five dogs fell by the wayside. Then Autumn stepped up and broke the mark, leaving Daisy June with one last shot.

Guttman said he didn't change anything with his setup for the final jump, but merely remained calm and hoped Daisy June would get a good launch from the edge of the dock. Keys to success in the event include speed, hitting the edge of the dock just right to leap out and the angle of the launch to attain distance.

"Daisy June will play by herself at the lake, so she's really practicing all the time," Guttman said. "She'll drop a stick off the dock, look at it, look back to see if anyone will be there to help her and then jump in to get it."

The lineup for Sunday's rounds, in order with Saturday's longest jump, is: Mike Jackson and Little Morgan (24-5), Ken Butler and Sly (22-5), Chris Piacun and Beau (22-0), Guttman and Daisy June (21-10), Milt Wilcox and Sparky (21-9), Terry Casey and 2003 gold medal winner Skeeter (21-9), Havlinek and Autumn (21-8) and Roddy Reynolds and Jack (21-7).