LRL: Top Manipulator grinds out win
Wears down favorite to take allowance/optional claimer
Frank Vespe
February 13, 2026
Top Manipulator was blowing hard after Friday’s fourth race at Laurel Park, and why not? He’d given his all every inch of the stretch before finally wearing down 4-5 favorite Worker Bee to win the allowance/optional claimer for three-year-olds by a half-length.
“I’ve had the whole family, there are four of them now,” said winning trainer Tim Keefe afterwards. “They’re all a little different. They all come along at their own pace. They all take a little time.”
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Funny thing is, if you look at Top Manipulator’s record, you might think he’s not taking much time at all. After all, he’s 2-for-3 now in his young career.
“Now, I know you might think, well, he’s only, he won his second start, and won his third start,” Keefe acknowledged. “But he’s still learning every time he runs.”
The learning process was on display today. Despite the win, Top Manipulator ran on his left – incorrect – lead for the entire stretch.
“He doesn’t do that in the mornings,” Keefe lamented.
The learning curve is real. So’s the talent.
Fifth in his debut, Top Manipulator closed nicely under Forest Boyce to graduate easily at second asking. With Boyce riding in Saudi Arabia this weekend, Keefe turned back to Cruz to ride.
In today’s $53,900 contest, Worker Bee set sail early under bug rider Yedsit Hazlewood. Gelded for the first time and a couple of outings removed from a win at this level, Worker Bee had a narrow advantage after a quarter-mile in 22.65 seconds and a larger one – three lengths – after a half in 46.88.
By then Top Manipulator, inside under a ride from Angel Cruz, had moved into second and was eyeing the speed. The Blofeld gelding tipped wide in the lane and proved relentless, inching past in late stages and stopping the timer in 1:13.06 for six furlongs on a fast main track.
Top Manipulator, a homebred for Mrs. E. Allen Murray, Jr., improved to 2-for-3 and has earned more than $65,000.
“I get a lot of Blofelds, and they’re neat horses,” Keefe said. “They all look different. Some of them are beautiful. Others, they look like they’re three men in a horse suit. But they all run well.”
Keefe said he expected Top Manipulator would ultimately want more ground. But with a young horse with talent, he’s in no hurry. He said he likely would try to find a seven-furlong race next time for his charge.
It’s been a productive start to 2026 for the Keefe barn. He entered today 4-for-8 at Laurel this season, and one of the horses who didn’t win, Spectacular Bid show horse Code of Silence, is another who figures to benefit from added ground. Keefe indicated that runner would likely bypass next week’s one-mile Miracle Wood and await the 1 1/16-mile Private Terms in March.
As for his season to date, Keefe did have one request.
“I wish I could find a way to kind of level it out a little bit instead of going peaks and valleys,” the veteran trainer laughed. “But that’s the way it is.”
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