Kris was a racehorse

Horse racing

Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...

 owned and bred by the 9th Baron Howard de Walden, and trained by Henry Cecil

Henry Cecil

Sir Henry Richard Amherst Cecil is a successful English horse racing trainer who has had many winners in the Epsom Derby, 1,000 Guineas and 2,000 Guineas, Epsom Oaks and the St. Leger Stakes....

. He was sired by Sharpen Up out of the mare Doubly Sure.
Kris ran four times as a two-year-old, winning all starts, including the Group 3 Horris Hill Stakes

Horris Hill Stakes

The Horris Hill Stakes is a Group 3 flat horse race in Great Britain which is open to two-year-old thoroughbred colts and geldings. It is run at Newbury over a distance of 7 furlongs , and it is scheduled to take place each year in October....

 at Newbury

Newbury Racecourse

Newbury Racecourse is a racecourse in the civil parish of Greenham, adjoining the town of Newbury in Berkshire, England. It has courses for flat races and over jumps...

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In his three-year-old season, Kris won the Group 3 Greenham Stakes

Greenham Stakes

The Greenham Stakes is a Group 3 flat horse race in Great Britain which is open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and geldings. It is run at Newbury over a distance of 7 furlongs , and it is scheduled to take place each year in April....

 at Newbury and subsequently finished second in the 2,000 Guineas to Tap on Wood. He went on to win the St. James's Palace Stakes

St. James's Palace Stakes

The St. James's Palace Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 1 mile , and it is scheduled to take place each year in June....

 at Royal Ascot

Ascot Racecourse

Ascot Racecourse is a famous English racecourse, located in the small town of Ascot, Berkshire, used for thoroughbred horse racing. It is one of the leading racecourses in the United Kingdom, hosting 9 of the UK's 32 annual Group 1 races...

 and beat the older horses in the Group 1 Sussex Stakes

Sussex Stakes

The Sussex Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Goodwood over a distance of 1 mile , and it is scheduled to take place each year in late July or early August.-History:...

 at Goodwood

Goodwood Racecourse

Goodwood Racecourse is a horse-racing track five miles north of Chichester, West Sussex, in England controlled by the family of the Duke of Richmond, whose seat is nearby Goodwood House...

. Kris returned to Goodwood a few weeks later to take the Group 2 Celebration Mile

Celebration Mile

The Celebration Mile is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain which is open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Goodwood over a distance of 1 mile , and it is scheduled to take place each year in late August....

 and went on to win the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes

Queen Elizabeth II Stakes

The Queen Elizabeth II Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain which is open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 1 mile , and it is now scheduled to take place each year in October. As of 2011, it is run on Champions Day as the final race...

 at Ascot. He finished off the 1979 season with an easy victory in the Challenge Stakes

Challenge Stakes

The Challenge Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain which is open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 7 furlongs , and it is scheduled to take place each year in October.The event was established in 1878, and the...

 at Newmarket

Newmarket Racecourse

The town of Newmarket, in Suffolk, England, is the headquarters of British horseracing, home to the largest cluster of training yards in the country and many key horse racing organisations. Newmarket Racecourse has two courses - the Rowley Mile Course and the July Course. Both are wide, galloping...

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As a four-year-old, Kris won the Lockinge Stakes

Lockinge Stakes

The Lockinge Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to thoroughbreds aged four years or older. It is run at Newbury over a distance of 1 mile , and it is scheduled to take place each year in May.-History:...

 at Newbury and finished his racing career at Ascot where he was denied a second successive Queen Elizabeth II Stakes by that season’s 2,000 Guineas winner, Known Fact.

Kris ran 16 times in all and won 14 races, being placed second on the two occasions he was beaten. His full-brother Diesis

Diesis (horse)

Diesis was a racehorse and stallion, foaled in 1980, died in 2006. By the sire Sharpen Up, he was owned throughout his racing career by 9th Baron Howard de Walden and trained by Henry Cecil....

 was a leading two-year-old in 1982.

As a stallion

Stallion (horse)

A stallion is a male horse that has not been gelded .Stallions will follow the conformation and phenotype of their breed, but within that standard, the presence of hormones such as testosterone may give stallions a thicker, "cresty" neck, as well as a somewhat more muscular physique as compared to...

 Kris sired Oh So Sharp

Oh So Sharp

Oh So Sharp was a successful racehorse trained in Great Britain by Henry Cecil. She became the first classic winner for her owner-breeder Sheikh Mohammed when she came out best in a double short-head finish in the 1985 1,000 Guineas. It extended her unbeaten run to five races and she went on to...

, winner of the 1,000 Guineas, Epsom Oaks

Epsom Oaks

The Oaks Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred fillies. It is run at Epsom Downs over a distance of 1 mile, 4 furlongs and 10 yards , and it is scheduled to take place each year in early June....

 and St. Leger

St. Leger Stakes

The St. Leger Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain which is open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Doncaster over a distance of 1 mile, 6 furlongs and 132 yards , and it is scheduled to take place each year in September.Established in 1776, the St. Leger...

 in 1985, and Unite, winner of the Epsom Oaks in 1987.