Intuitor moving up off victory

VANCOUVER, British Columbia - Intuitor looks like a strong possibility in a six-horse field of $50,000 optional 3-year-old fillies going 6 1/2 furlongs at Hastings Park this Wednesday evening.

Intuitor will be stepping up in class after being claimed out of a winning effort in a $20,000 race by K K Sangara, who has placed her in the care of leading trainer Harold Barroby. Intuitor has won both of her races this year by leading right from the start, but her most impressive race was when she finished second at Emerald Downs in a $16,000 claiming race for nonwinners-of-two May 27. After breaking poorly, she found herself in last place with a lot of ground to make up. She never stopped trying, though, and she made a determined run through the stretch to miss by just a half-length. Mark Patzer will be aboard, and he will have to make a decision of whether or not to send her to the front, where she is likely to be joined by Up to Me and possibly Love to Mel, or sit just off of it and make a run at the early leaders approaching the far turn.

Up to Me also has won both of her races by leading start to finish. The last time she ran for this condition she was a 2 1/4-length winner over Quite Divine on

May 5. She tried stakes fillies in the three-horse Supernaturel Stakes May 20 but tired to finish a distant third in the race, won by her stablemate Castle Mountain. In her last start, she made her first attempt at a middle distance and finished over 19 lengths behind

If those two get hooked up in a speed duel it could set up nicely for Sabrina's Spirit who came from off the pace to beat $35,000 fillies at 6 1/2 furlongs June 17.