LRL: Top Manipulator wins
Endures favorite to take reimbursement/optional claimant
Frank Vesp- February 13, 2026
Top Manipulator was blowing hard after Friday’s fourth race at Laurel Park, and why not? He had given it his all before eventually beating the 4-5 favorite Worker Bee to win the allowance/optional claimer for three-year-olds by half a length.
“I’ve had the whole family, there are four now,” said winning trainer Tim Keefe afterwards. “They’re all a little different. They all come along at their own pace. They all take some time.”
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The funny thing is, if you look at Top Manipulator’s track record, you might think he doesn’t take much time at all. After all, he’s 2-for-3 now in his young career.
“Now, I know you might be thinking, well, he’s the only one, he won his second start and his third start,” Keefe acknowledged. “But he’s still learning every time he runs.”
The learning process was on display today. Despite the victory, Top Manipulator rode the entire route on his left – incorrect – lead.
“He doesn’t do that in the morning,” Keefe complained.
The learning curve is real. That also applies to the talent.
Top Manipulator finished fifth in his debut and finished well under Forest Boyce to graduate easily in second place. While Boyce rode in Saudi Arabia this weekend, Keefe returned to Cruz to ride.
In today’s $53,900 race, Worker Bee made an early start under bug rider Yedsit Hazlewood. Worker Bee, earning for the first time and a few races away from winning at this level, had a narrow lead after a quarter mile in 22.65 seconds and a larger lead – three lengths – after a half mile in 46.88.
By then, Top Manipulator, led indoors by Angel Cruz, had finished second and was keeping up the pace. The Blofeld gelding went wide in the track and proved ruthless. He got past it in the late stages, stopping the timer in 1:13.06 for six furlongs on a fast main track.
Top Manipulator, a private breeder of 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 nice horses,” Keefe said. “They all look different. Some are beautiful. Others look like three men in horse suits. But they all run well.”
Keefe said he expected Top Manipulator would eventually want more ground. But he is in no hurry with a young horse with talent. He said next time he would probably try to find a seven-furlong race for his guard.
It’s been a productive start to 2026 for the Keefe stable. He entered this season 4-for-8 at Laurel, and one of the horses that didn’t win, Spectacular Bid show horse Code of Silence, is another who thinks he can benefit from extra ground. Keefe indicated the runner would likely bypass next week’s Miracle Wood and wait for the private 1 1/16-mile conditions in March.
As for his season so far, Keefe had one request.
“I wish I could find a way to even it out a little bit instead of going through the highs and lows,” the veteran trainer laughed. “But that’s how it is.”
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