An early snow fell on the mountains near Albion, Idaho, catching a hunting party unprepared. Several humans and horses died of exposure to the cold. Joe King released his Appaloosa stallion, Apache King S., into the wilderness to fend for himself. Ten days later, the stallion returned home — injured, but alive.

Apache King S. won purses on the track, but earned his keep as a working horse at the King Ranch in Peck, Idaho. He survived that tragic hunting accident and went on to make a name for himself as a racehorse and a breeding stallion.

Orville Sears Sr. of Elba, Idaho, bred Hall of Fame stallion Apache F-370 to an ApHC identification-certified half-Thoroughbred named Mapeline. The cross produced Apache King S. on June 12,1959. Joe and Marie King bought the stallion from Orville and started racing him as a 4-year-old. Apache King S. swept down the stretch setting world records at 500 yards, 770 yards, 880 yards, four furlongs, 4 1/2 furlongs and five furlongs. With 20 starts, Apache King S. earned 16 wins with seven stakes wins. In 1963, he claimed the aged-stallion racing championship for dollars earned.

Apache King S. sired 93 registered foals. His get include 38 starters and 16 winners who garnered a collective $31,057.75 at the track. Apache King S. received the leading-sire title in 1967 and 1968 for producing the most winners. Apache King S.'s lineage has been passed into the halter and performance world through his daughter Daiquiri-Bar. The mare earned a bronze medallion in halter and won the 1987 leading dam of medallion winners title.

Apache King S. died on April 5, 1970 of liver failure. He was just 10 years old.