Stellar Wind is a chestnut filly with a white blaze bred in Virginia by Keswick Stables & Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings. She is from the third crop of foals sired by Curlin winner of the 2007 Preakness Stakes and Breeders’ Cup Classic. Stellar Wind was the first foal of her dam Evening Star, who won two minor races as a four-year-old in 2010,[3] and was descended from the mare Omayya, who was the ancestor of many important winners including Tepin, Americain and the Irish Oaks winner Melodist.
In August 2013, the filly was consigned by Bluegrass Thoroughbred Services to the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Yearling Sale and was sold for $40,000 to Vernan Lee Stables.[5] Less than two months later, the filly returned to the Fasig-Tipton auction ring and was bought for $88,000 by Barbara J. Houck.[6] The filly was initially sent into training with Donald Barr. For the 2015 season, Stellar Wind entered the ownership of Kostas Hronis’ Hronis Racing and was sent into training with John Sadler.
Stellar Wind began her second season with a step up in class as she contested the Grade III) Santa Ysabel Stakes over eight and a half furlongs at Santa Anita Park on February 25. Ridden for the first time by Victor Espinoza, she started at odds of 7/1 in a seven-horse field headed by Light The City, who had finished second in the Grade I Las Virgenes Stakes in her previous start. The filly drew away in the final stages to win by two and three quarter lengths from Light The City. On April 5, Stellar Wind moved up to Grade I level for the first time in the Santa Anita Oaks, which was run over the same track and distance as the Santa Ysabel Stakes. Starting as the 6/5 favorite, Stellar Wind was restrained by Espinoza while at the rear of the seven-horse field, moved up on the outside approaching the final turn, took the lead a furlong and a half out, and won by five and a quarter lengths from Luminance, with Wild At Heart three lengths back in third. On 1 May Stellar Wind started as the favorite in a fourteen-runner field for the Kentucky Oaks over nine furlongs at Churchill Downs. After racing towards the rear, she made progress on the wide outside on the final turn but never looked likely to win and finished fourth behind Lovely Maria, Shook Up and I’m A Chatterbox. In the Summertime Oaks at Santa Anita Stellar Wind started odds on favorite despite conceding five pounds to her opponents. She took the lead a quarter of a mile from the finish but was hard-pressed to maintain her advantage in the closing stages before prevailing by a nose from Tara’s Tango.Stellar Wind’s next appearance came in the Grade III Torrey Pines Stakes at Del Mar Racetrack on August 30. Starting odds-on favorite against five opponents, she took the lead three furlongs out and pulled clear in the straight to win by four and a quarter lengths from Big Book. For her final race of the year, Stellar Wind was matched against older fillies and mares for the first time in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff at Keeneland on October 30 where she finished second by a neck . At the Eclipse Awards in January 2016 Stellar Wind was named American Champion Three-Year-Old Filly after taking 108 of the 261 votes. On her first appearance as a four-year-old, Stellar Wind was matched against the outstanding racemare Beholder in the Vanity Mile at Santa Anita on 4 June and finished second, a length and a half behind her older rival.. On 30 July Stellar Wind faced Beholder again, this time in the G1 Clement L. Hirsch at Del Mar, and turned the tables on the Champion mare to prevail in a thrilling stretch run. On October 1st Stellar Wind won one of the most anticipated races of her career – the $300,000 Grade 1 Zenyatta Stakes at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. Hronis Racing’s 2-1 second choice Stellar Wind once again got the better of her nemesis, three-time champion Beholder for the second straight race – this time in a typically terrific duel down the stretch.
Stellar Wind will be racing in the Breeders Cup on November 5th At Santa Anita.