Kris S. (foaled April 25, 1977 – May 7, 2002) was an American

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 ...

race horse who is best known as a highly successful

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 ...

Background

Kris S. was a son of the 1972

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

Roberto The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, honou ...

who was a sire of international influence descending from the Hail to Reason branch of the

Nearco Nearco (January 24, 1935 – June 27, 1957) was an Italian-bred Thoroughbred racehorse described by ''Thoroughbred Heritage'' as "one of the greatest racehorses of the Twentieth Century" and "one of the most important sires of the century." He ...

sire line. Kris S.'s dam was Sharp Queen, a daughter of two-time

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

n Champion Sire and seven-time Champion Broodmare Sire

Princequillo Princequillo (1940–1964) was a Thoroughbred racehorse conceived in France and born in Ireland. He is known for his performances in long-distance races and his successes as a sire. Background His sire, Prince Rose, stood at the Haras de Cheff ...

Racing career

Kris S. was raced by Kris S. Robillard, whose father bought the horse for her and gave it her name. The colt won two races at age two, but an injury limited his racing career to just five starts, including a win in the ungraded Bradbury Stakes at age three. In 1982 he was sent to stand at stud at Meadowbrook Farms in

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

, where he remained until 1993 when he was moved to

Prestonwood Farm WinStar Farm is an American Thoroughbred horse breeding and racing farm near Versailles, Kentucky, owned by Kenny Troutt. It won the 2010 Eclipse Award for Outstanding Owner and 2016 Outstanding Breeder. WinStar Farm owned 2018 Triple Crown w ...

(now Winstar Farm) in

Versailles, Kentucky Versailles () is a home rule-class city in Woodford County, Kentucky, United States. It lies by road west of Lexington and is part of the Lexington-Fayette Metropolitan Statistical Area. Versailles has a population of 9,316 according to 2017 cen ...

Stud record

A highly successful stallion, Kris S. sired 63 stakes winners and had lifetime progeny earnings of over $50 million. Among the horses he sired were five

Breeders' Cup The Breeders' Cup World Championships is an annual series of Grade I Thoroughbred horse races, operated by Breeders' Cup Limited, a company formed in 1982. From its inception in 1984 through 2006, it was a single-day event; starting in 2007, ...

winners, of which three were voted an Eclipse Award: *

Prized Prized (May 20, 1986 – July 20, 2014) is an American Thoroughbred racehorse. Background Prized was bred in Florida by Meadowbrook Farm who raced him in partnership with Clover Racing Stable. He was by the very successful sire Kris S., a s ...

(born 1986) - won 1989

Breeders' Cup Turf The Breeders' Cup Turf is a Weight for Age Thoroughbred horse race on turf for three-year-olds and up. It is held annually at a different racetrack in the United States or Canada as part of the Breeders' Cup World Championships. The race's current ...

, Molson Million *

Hollywood Wildcat {{Infobox racehorse , horsename = Hollywood Wildcat , image = , caption = , sire = Kris S. , grandsire = Roberto , dam = Miss Wildcatter , damsire = Mr. Prospector , sex = Filly , foaled = 1990 , country = United States , colour = B ...

(born 1990) - won1993

Breeders' Cup Distaff The Breeders' Cup Distaff is a Weight for Age Thoroughbred horse race for fillies and mares, 3 years old and up. Known as the Breeders' Cup Ladies' Classic between 2008 and 2012, it is held annually at a different racetrack in the United States or ...

, 1993

American Champion Three-Year-Old Filly The American Champion Three-Year-Old Filly is an American Thoroughbred horse racing honor awarded annually to a female horse in Thoroughbred flat racing. It became part of the Eclipse Awards program in 1971. The award originated in 1936 when both ...

Brocco {{Infobox racehorse , horsename = Brocco , image = , caption = , sire = Kris S. , grandsire = Roberto , dam = Anytime Ms. , damsire = Aurelius , sex = Stallion , foaled = 1991 , country = United States , colour = Chestnut , breeder ...

(born 1991) - won 1993 Breeders' Cup Juvenile and 1994 Santa Anita Derby *

Soaring Softly Soaring Softly (1995 in Kentucky – 2015) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse whose biggest win came in the 1999 Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf. She originally raced on dirt, with limited success. Switched to turf at age four, she won seven ...

(born 1995) won1999 Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf, 1999

American Champion Female Turf Horse The American Champion Female Turf Horse award is an American Thoroughbred horse racing honor. It is part of the Eclipse Awards program and is awarded annually to a female horse (filly or mare) for her performance on grass race courses. Until 1978 t ...

* Action This Day (born 2001) - won 2003 Breeders' Cup Juvenile, American Champion Two-Year-Old Colt Kris S. also sired two-time Japanese Horse of the Year

Symboli Kris S Symboli Kris S (, foaled January 21, 1999 in the United States – December 8, 2020) is a retired Japanese Thoroughbred race horse. He was voted Japanese Horse of the Year in 2002 and 2003. He was retired at the end of 2003 and was syndicated ...

and the 2003

winner,

Kris Kin Kris Kin (5 March 2000 – 31 August 2012) was a thoroughbred race horse and active sire. He was bred in the United States but was trained in England during his racing career. In a career that lasted just over a year, from October 2002 to October ...

. In addition, he sired major stakes winners Rock Hard Ten, Kissin Kris, Machikane Allegro, Dr Fong, Kudos, You and I, Adonis, Class Kris, Evening Kris, Cheval Volant, Stocks Up, and Arch. He also sired

Vertigineux Vertigineux (foaled, March 8, 1995 – 2014) was an American Thoroughbred racemare. She is out of the stakes-winning Forlì mare For The Flag, by the outstanding sire Kris S. Her owner is Eric Kronfeld, who bought back Vertigineux for $120,000 (e ...

, honored by the association of Kentucky Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders (KTOB) as "Broodmare of the Year" in April 2009. Kris S. was also the grandsire of Canadian Three-Year-Old Champion Colt

Pender Harbour Pender Harbour is a harbour community on British Columbia's Sunshine Coast, on the east side of Malaspina Strait. The harbour itself is an intricate amalgam of bays and coves that encroach inland for five kilometres and provide over 60 kilometres ...

, a 2011 winner of two of the Canadian Triple Crown races. Kris S. is the damsire of War Chant, winner of the 2000 Breeders' Cup Mile, Life is Sweet, winner of the 2009

and Zenyatta, the first female to win the

Breeders' Cup Classic The Breeders' Cup Classic is a Grade I Weight for Age thoroughbred horse race for 3-year-olds and older run at a distance of on dirt. It is held annually at a different racetrack as part of the Breeders' Cup World Championships in late October o ...

. Kris S. was euthanized in May 2002 and was buried at WinStar Farm. His last crop of foals was born the following year.

References

{{Reflist
Pedigree and partial racing stats for Kris S.
1977 racehorse births 2002 racehorse deaths Racehorses bred in Florida Racehorses trained in the United States Thoroughbred family 10-a