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From Hostage Crisis to Winner's Circle: They Got Curry By Mig Feuser and Chris Melton / Adair Progress Sometimes there are coincidences -- events nearly 14 years apart, both highlights in their own time, connected in the strangest of ways. One of them happened just a few weeks ago. So, without further ado, let's get into the story. Part I: The Race It was a sunny day on January 22 around Philadelphia. Forty-eight degrees and barely a cloud in the sky. At Parx Race Course in Bensalem, Pennsylvania, a three-year-old filly owned by Super C Stables of Mike Coombs was ready to run. And it would not just be her first race -- it would immediately become the first win of her young career. By 4 1/4 lengths, the filly defeated the field, and on the big board her name stood at the top: Winner: They Got Curry! Many in Pennsylvania that day surely assumed the name had something to do with the British spice mixture. Maybe full grocery shelves of curry after a pandemic supply break, or something along those lines. But far from it. In fact, the name traces back to an event many years before the horse was even born. Part II: The Heist Adair County is known for many things. Bank robberies are definitely not one of them. Okay -- there was that incident in the 1800s. The James Gang, led by Frank James (as his (in)famous brother Jesse had reportedly called in sick that day), hit the Bank of Columbia on April 29, 1872, killing an unarmed cashier. Fast-forward 140 years: another century, another bank. This time, a robber entered the United Citizens Bank branch at 1582 Campbellsville Road. Eugene Earl Gentry, then age 63, allegedly brandished a black semi-automatic handgun while robbing the Highway 55 branch. After getting around $90,000 in cash, Gentry decided that taking a hostage -- and the hostage's vehicle -- would be the best way to escape. He proceeded to take branch manager Mike Curry -- and yes, I know what you're thinking now -- at gunpoint and forced him to flee the scene in Curry's 1998 Ford Ranger pickup. "He basically just came in and wanted money. And he took me with him and dropped me off down the road," Mike Curry remembers, adding with a smile: "And, you know, that's pretty much it." In hindsight, Curry says: "It wasn't pleasant. I mean, it was scary, but you let your instincts take over and try to make sure you're protecting everybody else in the bank. That's the main thing." Gentry's robbing career did not last long. One year later, the man from Lafayette, Tennessee, entered Citizens Bank & Trust on Ky. 210 in Campbellsville. Campbellsville Police did not release details about what happened inside that bank, but reports indicate Gentry asked for a loan officer and a specific amount of money -- a scenario similar to what had happened at UCB a year earlier. The Campbellsville bank was not robbed. Police said the suspect briefly spoke with an employee and "exhibited behaviors which caused concern and suspicion." Officers observed a vehicle matching the description provided by the bank and initiated a traffic stop. When officers approached, the driver sped away. The pursuit led down Hwy. 55 toward Adair County and ended when Gentry ran off the highway and crashed between two parked semi-trailers. He was injured in the collision and airlifted to the University of Kentucky Hospital, where he was listed in serious condition that Tuesday night. After pleading guilty, Gentry was sentenced in October 2014 in United States District Court to 240 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. He was ordered to pay $90,800 in restitution for the robbery of two Kentucky banks and one count of carjacking in Adair County. He is currently serving his sentence at FCI Butner in Butner, North Carolina. Part III: The Bank Back in Columbia, at the moment of the robbery, word spread quickly -- within minutes. Joe Pyles, one of the founders of UCB, rushed into the main UCB branch on Jamestown Street. "Mr. Pyles, who's no longer with us, was up there at the bank and came tearing down the hall toward my office," Matt Loy remembers. "I knew something was wrong, just the look on his face. He told me, 'Come on, let's go,' and I got in his truck. I asked, 'What's wrong?' and he said, 'They got Curry.'" Loy initially did not understand what Pyles meant. Then he learned someone had taken Mike Curry hostage. "He went flying around the square and tore down the hill in his truck, trying to get out there and see what happened and to take care of Mike," Loy recalls. "But luckily, it all turned out okay. Mike was fine and the guy turned him loose. It had a happy ending, but it was a stressful few minutes." Part IV: The Naming The young horse was unnamed when local horseman Chris Melton purchased her from the Fasig-Tipton Digital Selected Sale. During a golf outing with Mike Curry, Matt Loy, and Bryan Feese, the group shared a laugh about the events of that October day in 2012. "Chris Melton, who owned the horse at first, didn't know the story about Mike getting taken hostage," Loy says. "He'd never heard it. Once he got us telling the story, it kind of stuck with him. And every time we'd get in a crowd, he'd want Mike or me to tell it again." That conversation on the golf course led Melton to name the filly "They Got Curry." Long-time client Mike Coombs, a successful businessman and horse owner who races primarily in Maryland, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and West Virginia, eventually purchased the filly once she was ready to begin her racing career. Most owners prefer to name their own horses. But once Coombs heard the backstory behind the name, he immediately embraced it. He sent the filly to trainer Jamie Ness, whose 353 wins in 2025 led all horse trainers in the United States. They Got Curry earned $19,200 in her debut victory, and her connections believe she has a bright future. Joe Pyles passed away in August 2024. But in a way, his spirit -- and that unforgettable shout down a Jamestown Street hallway -- will live on every time They Got Curry breaks from the starting gate. This story was posted on 2026-03-16 14:24:28
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