Vikingson was foaled on April 30th, 1968. He was bred by Kjell H. Qvale in California. Vikingson’s pedigree combined two Thoroughbred bloodlines that were prominent in the Quarter Horse industry. His sire, Viking Spirit, was by To Market, the damsire of Dash For Cash. Through his dam, True Trick, Viking Spirit traced back to Fair Play, Peter Pan and Broomstick. Viking Spirit won eighteen starts including the Del Mar Handicap, San Francisco Mile, Carter Handicap, Californian Stakes and Bing Crosby Handicap. Viking Spirit sired stakes winners Market Again, Rise High and Stormvogel. He also sired a handful of Quarter Horses, of which Viking Flag went on to sire Paint racehorses as well.
Secret Port, the dam of Vikingson, was by Spy Song and out of Port Darling, and by Port au Prince. Spy Song mares were sought after by Quarter Horse breeders because they were known to produce quick-footed offspring. Secret Port was an important broodmare in Qvale’s breeding program. She produced eleven foals for his California farm, including five race winners. Pitch Out was her most successful starter. The bay colt by Grey Eagle won eleven races including the Golden Gate Juvenile Dinner Stakes, Renton Handicap and Longacres Mile. Last Viking, a full brother to Vikingson, sired a few Quarter Horses too, including a race winner named Viking Image. Vikingson was by far Secret Port’s most successful son at stud.
In 1970, Vikingson made three starts and finished third in one race. In April of his three-year-old year, he won a six-furlong sprint for trainer Jerry Dutton. He went on to win two more races and finish second in the Paso Robles Handicap and third in the Bay District Handicap. Notably, Vikingson ran the quarter in 22 seconds or less in nine starts. Apparently, no horse ever outran him until after the half-mile mark. In one six-furlong race, Vikingson posted a time of 0:42.80 seconds at the half, which is four tenths faster than the North American record for a half mile race. Although he was not capable of running the classic Thoroughbred distances, his crazy fast fractions caught the attention of Quarter Horse breeders. When his three-year-old campaign ended, he was purchased by Cardiff Stud Farm of Solvang, California to stand to Quarter Horse mares. His final race record was sixteen starts, three wins, two seconds, six thirds, and $24,133 in earnings, which is the equivalent of about $180,000 today.
His first foals arrived in 1974. They included Racing Register of Merit earners Vikingo, Sweet Pooh, This Wild Child, Viva Viking and First Vik. His best starter, Viking Anne, was foaled the following year. Viking Anne was a sorrel filly out of the Good Bird mare, Miss Good Bird. Like many Vikingson foals, she showed early maturity but got even better with age. As a two-year-old, Viking Anne won three races including the Consolation Invitational Handicap at Los Alamitos. She won six more races at three and four, including the Hillsdale Handicap and Pap Handicap. On July 3rd, 1980, at the age of five and at 18-1 odds, Viking Anne won the El Ocho Setena Handicap, clocking the 870 yards in 0:45.07. She then ran second in the Pap Handicap before winning five in a row for trainer Judd Morse.
Viking Anne’s track-record-setting spree began on August 19th, 1980, the last night of the Los Alamitos summer meet. She won the Marathon Invitational Handicap by a length and a half over Friar Bob and set a track record for 870 yards in 0:44.88. In her next race, the Del Mar Expo Marathon Invitational, she ran the fastest 870 yards ever clocked in California track history. She then went back to Los Alamitos where she lowered her own track record in an Allowance race. Nine days later, she lowered it again to 0:44.700 in the Katella Handicap over Fleet Cupid. Her connections offered to put up $35,000 for an 870-yard match race against any Thoroughbred, but no challengers would take on Viking Anne!
At the start of her six-year-old year, Viking Anne was forced wide on the curve in an Allowance race and finished fourth. She came back to win wire-to-wire in the Bull Rastus Handicap over seven elite 870 contenders – Azure Te Lee, Azuthought, Dandy Duck, Fleet Cupid, Friar Bob, Island Ruler and Wee Easy Folks. The win gave jockey Bobby Adair his 100th Los Alamitos stakes victory and Viking Anne was named the top distance horse of the meet. She retired from racing with a record of 55 starts, nineteen wins, nine seconds, eight thirds, and $183,809 in earnings. She went on to produce fifteen AQHA-registered foals including stakes winners Strictly Wicked, Wicked Dash, Wicked Wind and Wicked Willa. Viking Anne passed away in 2004 at the age of 29. In 2006, she was honored as an AQHA Dam of Distinction.
Viking Anne was not the only Vikingson foal to earn champion honors on the track in 1980. His offspring really took California Quarter racing by storm. While Viking Anne was awarded the Champion Aged Running Mare and Champion 870 Horse tiles from the Pacific Coast Quarter Horse Racing Association, Callie Can and Viking Copy also earned the titles of Champion Three-Year-Old Mare and Champion Three-Year-Old Gelding. For their accomplishments, Vikingson was presented with the prestigious Three Bars Award, a prize given to the top stallion standing to Quarter Horse mares in California. By the time Vikingson received that award, he had been purchased by Pete Heath and Dr. Charles Graham to stand at the Southwest Stallion Station in Elgin, Texas. He had foals on the ground across the southern United States and even into Mexico.
In 1981, Wausau, a Utah-bred filly by Vikingson and out of Passum Queen, by Jet Deck, set a new track record in the Medicine Hat Derby for 400 yards in 20.180 seconds. Other track record setters by Vikingson included Middle Vike, Viking Vandy Oh and Like a Viking. Viking Miss, a sorrel filly by Vikingson and out of Easy Bubbling, by Easy Jet, was named the 1988 East Hi-Point Aged Mare after her wins in the Walter McIlhenny Stars & Stripes Handicap and Golden Triangle Handicap. Viking Miss went on to produce stakes winners Lot More Action and Runnin On Ease. Other Quarter Horse stakes winners by Vikingson included Flash Em Vike, Viking Royale, Ej Mr Vike Flight, Whatta Viking, Poo Bear Miss, Valiant Viking, Blanconia Viking, Viking Triumph, Talented Vik and Via Del.
Thoroughbred stakes winners by Vikingson included Valhalla Express, Tuesdays Tequila, Bascom, Nordic Barter and Viking Worthy. In total, Vikingson sired 696 registered Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse foals in eighteen foal crops. They included 306 race winners, 286 ROM-earners, 28 Superior Race Award earners, eighteen stakes winners, four graded stakes winners and one Regional Champion with $4,337,447 in earnings.
His Appaloosa offspring are not included in those statistics. In addition to Thoroughbreds and Quarter Horses, Vikingson also sired 22 ApHC-registered foals that earned $264,600 on the track. His most successful Appaloosa foal was Viking Song, a bay filly with a white blanket. Viking Song won the Cricket Bars Derby, Oklahoma Maturity, California Appaloosa Derby, Fresno Handicap and California State Fair Marathon. She went on to produce eleven ApHC-registered foals that earned $92,697 on the track. Viking Song was inducted into the ApHC Racing Hall of Fame for her accomplishments.
Aside from his racing progeny, Vikingson also sired Performance ROM-earners Danish Days, Vikingson Jet and Rosa Viking. Viking Vigor, Jaimes Gold Viking, Striking Viking, She Is No Mutt and Easy Vike earned performance points too. His grandget were even better performers. Daughters of Vikingson produced earners of 365.5 points in the arena. Stolen Fun Bar, Ricks Reb, Joles Jet and Holly Hocks Doc earned Performance ROMs. His grandget also excelled in the barrel pen. Making Up Time, Johnny Goodnite, Oro Leader, Sanettas Prince and Call Mr Bud Light were noteworthy barrel racing money earners out of Vikingson mares. Furthermore, Vikingson is the second damsire of Pink Buckle stallion Blazin Honor.
Of course, his daughters really excelled as producers of racehorses. Their 926 Quarter Horse foals included 321 ROM-earners, 300 winners, 33 Superior Race Award-earners, 30 stakes winners and five Regional Champions, with $6,134,606 in earnings. His best producing daughter, Deal in Vikingson, produced thirteen AQHA-registered foals including stakes winners Racin Vike, Miss Racy Vike, Racin Deal, Ronas Deal and Etarag. Deal in Vikingson still makes the list of All-Time Leading Dams by Stakes Winners. Like the aforementioned Viking Anne, she also earned the honor of AQHA Dam of Distinction. Notably, Deal in Vikingson is the third dam of Big Daddy Cartel and Dealagame.
Other important broodmares by Vikingson included Holly Hocks Doll, the dam of St Willa, Ricks Reb and HD Doc; Nordic Nancy, the dam of Sea Nancy Run, Doo Dah Dat and Doo Dat Again; and Lori Darlin, the dam of Darlin Dasher and No Magical Talent. Other stakes winners out of Vikingson mares included Sparkling Secret, Bigtime Hurrah, Bold Viking, Nordic Turbo, AM News, Ease N Passum, April Toro, Osceolas Angela, Oro O Toole and Mr Vikenson.
Vikingson passed away in 1991 at the age of 23. While Vikingson may not belong in the same category as Three Bars, Top Deck and Beduino as a sire, Marvin Mace of Beverley Hills, California probably said it best: “He deserves to be remembered for what he was: one of the fastest Thoroughbreds that ever lived.”
Sources: Equineline, Equibase, American Quarter Horse Association, The Quarter Horse Journal, All Breed Database
The Western Thoroughbred 