Isla Bonita (, foaled 21 May 2011) is a Japanese Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. As a juvenile in 2013 he showed very promising form as he won three of his four races including the Icho Stakes and the Tokyo Sports Hai Nisai Stakes. In the following year he took the JRA Award for Best Three-Year-Old Colt after winning the Tokino Minoru Kinen, Satsuki Sho and St Lite Kinen as well as finishing second in the Tokyo Yushun and third in the autumn edition of the Tenno Sho. He failed to win in the net two years but ran well in several major races, being placed in the Tenno Sho and two runnings of the Mile Championship. In his final season he returned to winning form, taking the Yomiuri Milers Cup and the Hanshin Cup.
Background
Isla Bonita is a dark bay or brown horse standing 1.61 metres high, with a broad white blaze and three white socks bred and owned by the Shadai Racing Corporation. During his racing career he was trained by Hironori Kurita.
He was sired by the undefeated champion Fuji Kiseki whose four wins included the Grade 1 Asahi Hai Sansai Stakes in 1994. As a breeding stallion he sired several other major winners including Straight Girl, Kane Hekili, Danon Chantilly (NHK Mile Cup), Sadamu Patek (Mile Championship), Fine Grain (Takamatsunomiya Kinen) and Kinshasa No Kiseki (Takamatsunomiya Kinen). Isla Bonita's dam Isla Cozzene was an American mare whose wins included the Listed Hawthorne Oaks in 2005.
Racing career
2013: two-year-old season
On 2 June at Tokyo Racecourse Isla Bonita made a successful racecourse debut when he won an event for previously unraced juveniles over 1600 metres. In August at Niigata Racecourse he was stepped up in class for the Grade 3 Niigata Nisai Stakes and was beaten three lengths into second place by the filly Harp Star. At Tokyo in October the colt was dropped back to Listed class for the Icho Stakes over 1800 metres and won from Win Phoenix and ten others. For his final run of the year Isla Bonita started the 4.3/1 second favourite behind Satono Aladdin in the Grade 3 Tokyo Sports Hai Nisai Stakes over 1800 metres at Tokyo. Ridden by Masayoshi Ebina he won in a race record time of 1:45.9 by a neck from Pray And Real with Clarity City a length and a quarter back in third place.
2014: three-year-old season
On 24 February Isla Bonita began his second campaign in the Kyodo News Service Hai (a trial race for the Satsuki Sho) over 1800 metres at Tokyo. He headed the betting at odds of 6/5 and won by one and a quarter lengths from Bell Canyon, with two lengths back to Satono Aladdin in third. On his next appearance Isla Bonita, with Ebina in the saddle, was made the 4.1/1 second choice in the betting for the 74th running of the Satsuki Sho over 2000 metres at Nakayama Racecourse. The Yayoi Sho winner To The World started favourite, with the other sixteen runners including Asia Express, Rosa Gigantea (Spring Stakes), Tosen Stardom (Kisaragi Sho), One And Only (Radio Nikkei Hai Nisai Stakes), Clarity City and Bell Canyon. After racing in mid-division Isla Bonita moved up on the outside on the final turn and moved up to dispute the lead with Win Full Bloom, To The World, and Asia Express 200 metres from the finish. He drew ahead in the closing stages to win by one and a quarter lengths and half a length from To The World and Win Full Bloom in a time of 1:59.6. After the race Ebina said "I tried to race him with his own pace until the first corner and took him to the outside to avoid the crowd. He was responding well, and as I was able to race him towards the front, I urged him to go earlier. Although he seemed a bit distracted, he was able rally strongly with the other horses. He is able to run a smooth race and I think the Tokyo racecourse, where the Japanese Derby is held, will suit him well".
On 1 June Isla Bonita was stepped up in distance and was made the 1.7/1 favourite for the Japanese Derby over 2400 metres at Tokyo. After tracking the front-runners in third he moved up to dispute the lead in the straight but was outrun in the closing stages and beaten three quarters of a length into second place by One And Only.