Monmouth Park: Royal Currier back in fine form

Ryan Denver/Equi-Photo

Royal Currier, with Joe Bravo up, wins the Mr. Prospector.

OCEANPORT, N.J. - Things quickly fell back into line for Royal Currier.

The 4-year-old gelding missed the Don LeVine Memorial last month at Parx Racing with a back problem. Mike Farro, trainer of the Monmouth Park division for his wife, Patricia, wasn't sure what to expect when Royal Currier seized up.

"We think he had a pinched nerve or a muscle spasm," Farro said. "He was like a rock all through his neck. All his muscles were really tight."

Fortunately things cleared up rapidly. Royal Currier bounced back to win the Mr. Prospector Stakes here last weekend and is now on target for the $100,000 Teddy Drone Stakes on the Haskell undercard.

"Everything went 100 percent," Farro said. "Things started working out for him again."

In relatively short order, Royal Currier got back to the racetrack, breezed for the Mr. Prospector, and got in some starting gate schooling.

In a change of tactics, Joe Bravo elected to rate the speedy Royal Currier in third behind the dueling leaders before turning him loose on the turn.

"The horse did it in hand," Farro said. "He hit him a couple of times turning for home, and he came out of it in great shape."

The Mr. Prospector was the 11th win in 25 starts for Royal Currier, who was claimed for $20,000 from his second start.