Gastronomy

Both of those wins have come over longer distances, between a mile and six furlongs and two miles, where Gastronomy has won 2 of its 21 races at that range. That 10% win rate over a trip that suits is actually a much healthier picture than the overall career numbers suggest — it tells you this is a horse that needs time and distance to find its rhythm, not a dash merchant. Philip Kirby's yard in North Yorkshire has been in solid form this season, sending out 31 winners, so the team clearly knows what it is doing.

The last win came at Redcar in July 2024 — almost 21 months ago now — and Gastronomy hasn't managed to add to that tally in the six races since. The recent form figures of 8-3-6-3-5-5 show a horse that has been finishing in mid-pack without really threatening, and a fifth place is the best it has managed in the last six attempts. Most of those runs have come in Class 5 races, which are the bread-and-butter, everyday contests rather than anything glamorous, and even there Gastronomy has only converted 1 win from 19 races at that level.

Now add a five-month break into the mix. Gastronomy hasn't raced for 171 days, which means the yard will be watching closely to see whether the rest has freshened things up or whether the horse returns needing a run to find its sharpness. Regular jockey Luke Morris hasn't managed a win in five rides together, which is a minor concern, though in fairness the horse hasn't been winning for anyone. The honest summary is that Gastronomy is a hard-trying, place-finding sort that occasionally fires when the trip is right — and after a long absence, the question is simply whether this is the return that reminds everyone why it keeps getting entered.