Ile de Bourbon won the Geoffrey Freer Stakes at Newbury. Ile de Bourbon was made favourite for the St Leger at Doncaster but finished sixth of the fourteen runners behind Julio Mariner. 1979: four-year-old season Ile de Bourbon began his four-year-old season by winning the Clive Graham Stakes. He was then sent to Epsom and won the Coronation Cup by three lengths from a field which included the leading French colts Frere Basile and Gay Mecene. He missed a clash with Troy in the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes, before returning in the September Stakes 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 in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. Assessment John Reid regarded Ile de Bourbon as one of the best horses he rode. Timeform 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 Kahyasi, Ile de Chypre, Petite Ile and Ile de Nisky (Cumberland Lodge Stakes). Ile de Bourbon died in 1997. Pedigree Ile de Bourbon's pedigree is as follows: References 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