Ile de Bourbon (1975–1997) was an American-bred, British-trained

Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are c ...

racehorse Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic pr ...

and

sire Sire is an archaic respectful form of address to reigning kings in Europe. In French and other languages it is less archaic and relatively more current. In Belgium, the king is addressed as "Sire..." in both Dutch and French. The words "sire" a ...

. In a career which lasted from 1977 until October 1979 he ran twelve times and won five races. His most important success came in July 1978 when he won the

King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes The King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Ascot o ...

at Ascot. He was retired to stud in 1979 and sired the Derby winner

Kahyasi Kahyasi (2 April 1985 – 2008) was an Irish-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred horse racing, racehorse. He won the first five races of his seven-race career, including the Epsom Derby and the Irish Derby as a three-year-old in 1988. Backg ...

Background

Ile de Bourbon was a dark-coated bay horse standing 16.1

hands A hand is a prehensile, multi-fingered appendage located at the end of the forearm or forelimb of primates such as humans, chimpanzees, monkeys, and lemurs. A few other vertebrates such as the koala (which has two opposable thumbs on each " ...

high, bred in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

Jane Engelhard Jane Engelhard (August 12, 1917 – February 29, 2004), born Mary Jane Reiss, was an American philanthropist, best known for her marriage to billionaire industrialist Charles W. Engelhard Jr., as well as her donation of an elaborate 18th-century ...

, the wife of

Charles W. Engelhard, Jr. Charles W. Engelhard Jr. (February 15, 1917 – March 2, 1971) was an American businessman, a major owner in Thoroughbred horse racing, and a candidate in the 1955 New Jersey State Senate Elections. He controlled an international mining and metal ...

He was sired by the Triple Crown winner

Nijinsky Vaslav (or Vatslav) Nijinsky (; rus, Вацлав Фомич Нижинский, Vatslav Fomich Nizhinsky, p=ˈvatsləf fɐˈmʲitɕ nʲɪˈʐɨnskʲɪj; pl, Wacław Niżyński, ; 12 March 1889/18908 April 1950) was a ballet dancer and choreog ...

out of the French mare Roseliere, whose wins included the

Prix de Diane The Prix de Diane, sometimes referred to as the French Oaks, is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to three-year-old thoroughbred fillies. It is run at Chantilly over a distance of 2,100 metre ...

and the

Prix Vermeille The Prix Vermeille is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbred fillies and mares aged three years or older. It is run at Longchamp over a distance of 2,400 metres (about 1½ miles), an ...

. In addition to Ile de Bourbon, Roseliere also produced the leading British filly Rose Bowl and was a full sister of the leading

National Hunt In horse racing in the United Kingdom, France and Republic of Ireland, National Hunt racing requires horses to jump fences and ditches. National Hunt racing in the UK is informally known as "jumps" and is divided into two major distinct branches: ...

stallion Roselier. When the British trainer Fulke Johnson Houghton first saw the yearling in Kentucky, he described him as "all ribs, looking a right bugger", but bought him anyway and brought him back to train at his stable at

Blewbury Blewbury is a village and civil parish at the foot of the Berkshire Downs section of the North Wessex Downs about south of Didcot, south of Oxford and west of London. It was part of Berkshire until the 1974 boundary changes transferred it ...

Wiltshire Wiltshire (; abbreviated Wilts) is a historic and ceremonial county in South West England with an area of . It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset to the southwest, Somerset to the west, Hampshire to the southeast, Gloucestershire ...

. Ile de Bourbon ran in the colours of David McCall and was owned by McCall in partnership with Sir Philip Oppenheimer, Fulke Johnson Houghton and the trainer's mother,

Helen Johnson Houghton Helen Marjorie Johnson Houghton (née Walwyn; 8 November 1910 – 4 December 2012) was a British racehorse trainer. She was the first woman to train a Classic flat races winner. Her horse Gilles de Retz won the 2,000 Guineas in 1956, but her na ...

Racing career

1977: two-year-old season

In 1977, Ile de Bourbon finished fourth over seven furlongs on his racecourse debut and was then moved up sharply in class for the Group One

William Hill Futurity The Vertem Futurity Trophy is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Doncaster over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres), ...

Doncaster Doncaster (, ) is a city in South Yorkshire, England. Named after the River Don, it is the administrative centre of the larger City of Doncaster. It is the second largest settlement in South Yorkshire after Sheffield. Doncaster is situated in ...

in which he finished ninth behind Dactylographer.

1978: three-year-old season

Ile de Bourbon began his three-year-old season by finishing second to the soon-to-be

Epsom Derby The Derby Stakes, also known as the Epsom Derby or the Derby, and as the Cazoo Derby for sponsorship reasons, is a Group 1 flat horse race in England open to three-year-old colts and fillies. It is run at Epsom Downs Racecourse in Surrey o ...

winner

Shirley Heights Shirley Heights (1 March 1975 – 17 March 1997) was a British Thoroughbred race horse and winner of the Derby in 1978. The colt had previously won the Royal Lodge Stakes and the Dante Stakes, and he went on to win the Irish Derby before his ra ...

in the

Listed Listed may refer to: * Listed, Bornholm, a fishing village on the Danish island of Bornholm * Listed (MMM program), a television show on MuchMoreMusic * Endangered species in biology * Listed building, in architecture, designation of a historicall ...

Heathorn Stakes at Newmarket. He then finished second in the Predominate Stakes, a trial race for The Derby. Ile de Bourbon missed The Derby but ran two weeks later at

Royal Ascot Ascot Racecourse ("ascot" pronounced , often pronounced ) is a dual-purpose British racecourse, located in Ascot, Berkshire, England, which is used for thoroughbred horse racing. It hosts 13 of Britain's 36 annual Flat Group 1 horse races and ...

, when he recorded his first important win in the Group Two

King Edward VII Stakes The King Edward VII Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old colts and geldings. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 1 mile 3 furlongs and 211 yards (2,406 met ...

. He returned to Ascot in July for Britain's most prestigious all-aged race, the

King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes The King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Ascot ov ...

. He started at odds of 12/1 in a field of fourteen runners. Ridden by John Reid, he won by one and a half lengths from the

Prix du Jockey Club The Prix du Jockey Club, sometimes referred to as the French Derby, is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Chantilly over a ...

winner

Acamas Acamas or Akamas (; Ancient Greek: Ἀκάμας, folk etymology: 'unwearying') was a name attributed to several characters in Greek mythology. The following three all fought in the Trojan War, and only the first was not mentioned by Homer. *Acam ...

and the Epsom Derby runner-up Hawaiian Sound. Acamas was subsequently disqualified after failing a drug test. In August, Ile de Bourbon won the

Geoffrey Freer Stakes The Geoffrey Freer Stakes is a Group 3 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Newbury over a distance of 1 mile, 5 furlongs and 61 yards (2,671 me ...

at Newbury. Ile de Bourbon was made favourite for the

St Leger The St Leger Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Doncaster over a d ...

but finished sixth of the fourteen runners behind

Julio Mariner Julio Mariner (24 January 1975–26 May 2004) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire best known for winning the classic St Leger Stakes in 1978. In a racing career which lasted from August 1977 until October 1978 he won three of his ...

1979: four-year-old season

Ile de Bourbon began his four-year-old season by winning the

Clive Graham Stakes The Festival Stakes is a Listed flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Goodwood over a distance of 1 mile 1 furlong 197 yards (1,991 metres), and it is ...

. He was then sent to

Epsom Epsom is the principal town of the Borough of Epsom and Ewell in Surrey, England, about south of central London. The town is first recorded as ''Ebesham'' in the 10th century and its name probably derives from that of a Saxon landowner. The ...

and won the

Coronation Cup The Coronation Cup is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Epsom Downs over a distance of 1 mile, 4 furlongs and 6 yards (2, ...

by three lengths from a field which included the leading French colts Frere Basile and Gay Mecene. He missed a clash with

Troy Troy ( el, Τροία and Latin: Troia, Hittite language, Hittite: 𒋫𒊒𒄿𒊭 ''Truwiša'') or Ilion ( el, Ίλιον and Latin: Ilium, Hittite language, Hittite: 𒃾𒇻𒊭 ''Wiluša'') was an ancient city located at Hisarlik in prese ...

in the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes, before returning in the

September Stakes The September Stakes is a Group 3 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Kempton Park over a distance of 1 mile 3 furlongs and 219 yards (2,413 metr ...

at Kempton. In a major upset, he was defeated by the three-year-old Cracaval. On his final racecourse appearance, Ile de Bourbon finished unplaced behind

Three Troikas Three Troikas (foaled 1976) was a French Thoroughbred champion racehorse who was owned, trained, and raced by three members of the famous Head family. The highlight of her career came in an impressive victory in the 1979 Prix de l'Arc de Triomp ...

in the

Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe The Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Longchamp Racecourse in Paris, France, over a distance ...

Assessment

John Reid regarded Ile de Bourbon as one of the best horses he rode.

Timeform Timeform is a sports data and content provider located in Halifax, West Yorkshire, England. Founded in 1948, it provides systematic information on form to punters and others involved in the horse racing industry. The company was purchased by ...

rated Ile de Bourbon at 133 in both 1978 and 1979. He was the highest-rated European three-year-old of 1978 and the highest-rated older horse of 1979.

Stud record

Ile de Bourbon stood as a stallion in Europe before being exported to Japan in 1987. His most successful progeny included

Ile de Chypre Ile de Chypre (25 March 1985 – 2010) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. After showing some promise as a juvenile he improved to become a leading handicapper in 1988, winning two races and being placed in the Old Newton Cup, Mag ...

, Petite Ile and Ile de Nisky (

Cumberland Lodge Stakes The Cumberland Lodge Stakes is a Group 3 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 1 mile 3 furlongs and 211 yards (2,406 metr ...

). Ile de Bourbon died in 1997.

Pedigree

Ile de Bourbon's pedigree is as follows:

References

{{King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes Winners 1975 racehorse births 1997 racehorse deaths Racehorses trained in the United Kingdom Racehorses bred in Kentucky Thoroughbred family 4-i King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes winners