J.G. Torrealba rides three winners
LAUREL, MD—As jockey Angel Cruz guided Top Manipulator to the winner’s circle after a gutsy victory in Friday’s co-featured fourth race at Laurel Park, the gelding looked as if he had just gone ten rounds with a prime Mike Tyson.
Flanks heaving and snorting heavily, Top Manipulator posed for track photographer Jim McCue, then trudged back to the barn for a well-deserved bath.
Top Manipulator showed true determination while overtaking favored Worker Bee in the $49,000 first-level allowance race for 3-year-olds at six furlongs.
Hot-riding Angel Cruz placed Top Manipulator in the pocket to spy on Worker Bee and Wildncrazyguy’s pressured early pace. Those two skipped through an opening quarter in 22.65 seconds, and Worker Bee burst three lengths clear after a half-mile in 46.88 seconds.
Cruz, who had started the day on an 8-for-35 run since January 14, gradually eased Top Manipulator outside and into the clear for the stretch run, and the gray kicked down Worker Bee despite not changing leads.
“He’s still on his left lead, and he doesn’t do that in the morning,” marveled trainer Tim Keefe. “I think he’s still looking and figuring things out. I almost put blinkers on him in his last start, but then he won. How do you change something when they win? He still ran a great race.”
Top Manipulator stopped the clock in 1:13.06 and returned $14 as the longest shot in the field. Worker Bee, a half-length behind the winner, finished 4 ¼ lengths ahead of Wildncrazyguy. Ihaveanappforthat. and Rhodes completed the order of finish. Wall Art dumped jockey Ismerio Villalobos during the post parade and ran off, necessitating a late scratch. Both jockey and horse emerged unscathed from the incident.
Top Manipulator, a homebred owned by Mrs. E Allen Murray Jr’s Murmur Farm, is a Blofeld full brother to the multiple stakes-placed Bold Diversion, who began his career with Keefe.
“I’ve had the whole family,” Keefe said. “They’re four of them now, and they’re all a little different. They all come along at their own pace and take a little time. [Top Manipulator] is still learning every time he runs.”
Top Manipulator made his career debut in a restricted maiden special weight race at Laurel on November 28. He showed early speed before tiring to finish fifth, 13 ¼ lengths behind the impressive Skillian.
Keefe entered Top Manipulator in an open maiden special weight event on January 16, and the race paid dividends, with Top Manipulator using rating tactics to post a late-running victory.
Keefe believes the more patient running style suits Top Manipulator best.
“Maybe he wasn’t quite where he needed to be to win first time out,” Keefe said. “I worked him a couple of times after that, and took a little time away from the gate to settle, settle, settle and make a bit of a run.”
Keefe was full of praise for sire Blofeld, who stands at Murmur for a $5,000 stud fee.
“I get a lot of Blofelds, and they’re neat horses,” he said. “They all look different. Some of them are beautiful. Some of them look like three men in a horse suit. But they can all run.”
Keefe might be the hottest trainer on the circuit right now. After he and Cruz teamed up for The Goddess Factor’s pace-tracking victory in the co-featured eighth race, a $49,000 first-level allowance for fillies and mares at 1 1/16 miles, Keefe’s meet record improved to six wins from 11 starters.
The Goddess Factor ($7.80), a 5-year-old half-sister to Grade 3-placed Judge Davis, by The Factor, earned her second consecutive win. She is owned by Vina Del Mar Thoroughbreds.
*Jockey J.G. Torrealba rides three winners
It was a big day for jockey J.G. Torrealba, who rode three winners on the card.
Torrealba scored the opener aboard the pace-pressing Play It Cool ($14.20) for trainer Ferris Allen. In the sixth race, he rallied from off the pace aboard Campaign Mischief ($8.20) for Jonathan Maldonado. Torrealba capped his streak with an aggressive ride aboard the impressive Suremeanttobe ($6) in the ninth race.
Torrealba, a native of Venezuela, was an Eclipse Award Finalist for Outstanding Apprentice Jockey in 2024. That year, he won the Laurel Park Spring Meet.
*Around the track:
Apprentice rider Jose Vargas won two races on the Friday card. Vargas placed Paco the Taco Man ($8.60) close to the pace in the third race for trainer Annette Eubanks, who earned her 499th lifetime victory. Vargas sat chilly behind the leaders aboard Watch Your Tone ($7) before driving clear in the fifth.
Trainer Jonathan Maldonado scored a natural double, saddling Watch Your Tone and Campaign Mischief.
Live racing resumes Saturday for General George and Barbara Fritchie Stakes Day, featuring four stakes races with a total purse of $600,000. The first post for the ten-race program is at 12:00 pm ET, and there are two “Value Pick 5” wagers, each with a low 12% takeout. For the latest news on the stakes races, please click here.
The FREE “Laurel Park Handicapping Guide” is available every racing day. Get picks, analysis, trainer stats, trip notes, horses to watch, track bias information, and more from The Maryland Jockey Club’s team of handicappers. Saturday’s guide is available. Click here to view it.
Register for Laurel Park’s “Last Chance, First Chance Handicapping Challenge” on Saturday, February 14. The $500 hybrid online and on-track contest ($250 entry fee, $250 bankroll) allows Win, Place, Show, Exacta, and/or Daily Double wagers on the entire card of live races at Laurel Park. Contestants must play at least five (5) contest races, with a $50 minimum bet per race. For full rules and entry information, visit here.
Join us for belated Mardi Gras festivities as Laurel Park presents “Flavors of the Bayou” on Saturday, February 21, from noon to 4 pm. Your ticket includes authentic Cajun dishes, unlimited non-alcoholic beverages, and a free betting voucher. For the full menu and ticket prices, visit here.
Never miss a second of the action on the Laurel Park YouTube channel. Click here to watch full pan and head-on replays.
