is an active Japanese racehorse.
Costa Nova made his racing debut on December 25, 2022,in a two-year-old maiden race at Nakayama Racecourse, but finished a disappointing 11th. At age three, he switched to dirt racing and quickly found success, winning his first race of the season. Over the course of 2023, he competed in four races and won three of them, and finished secon in his only loss.
Costa Nova began the year strongly, winning the Hakurei Stakes on February 4 and earning promotion to the open class. Racing strategically throughout the season, he captured his first open-class victory three months later in the . His first major stakes appearance came in August at the , his debut over the 1200-meter distance, where he entered as the second favorite but finished sixth. He was scheduled to contest the Musashino Stakes in November but was forced to withdraw due to persistent swelling beneath his left eye.
Costa Nova started his five-year-old campaign in the Negishi Stakes on February 2. Launching a powerful move down the stretch, he surged clear to win by four lengths over , securing his first major race victory. Just three weeks later, on February 23, he stepped up to compete in his first Grade I race, the February Stakes. With jockey Rachel King taking over the reins (replacing Takeshi Yokoyama, who had ridden him in the Negishi Stakes but had chosen to ride ), he seized the lead early and held off a fierce late challenge from to claim victory. Rachel King became the first female jockey in Japan Racing Association history to win a flat GI race.
The first goal of the year for Costa Nova this time is to defend his title in the February Stakes. On the race day, Costa Nova loomed at the back in the early to mid race. On the final uphill stretch, He moved to outside and joined a four-horse rally to the line with Brian Sense, W Heart Bond and Wilson Tesoro. He got better acceleration than his contention and took the lead on final 100 m to win the race. Christophe Lemaire who jockeying him since the last autumn said that Costa Nova win attributed to his ability to positioned himself calmly behind Wilson Tesoro and shifted to the outside for the stretch drive to the wire. This win earned him a "Win and You're In" spot on the Breeders' Cup Classic for this year.
The horse is named after the .
Below data is based on data available on JBIS Search, and netkeiba.
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