The Windy Sands Handicap is an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 Thoroughbred horse race

Thoroughbred horse race

Thoroughbred horse racing is a worldwide sport and industry involving the racing of Thoroughbred horses. It is governed by different national bodies. There are two forms of the sport: Flat racing and National Hunt racing...

 held annually at Del Mar Racetrack

Del Mar Racetrack

Del Mar Racetrack is an American Thoroughbred horse racing track at the Del Mar Fairgrounds in the seaside city of Del Mar, California, 20 miles north of San Diego. Operated by the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club, it is known for the slogan: "Where The Turf Meets The Surf." It was built by a partnership...

 in Del Mar, California

Del Mar, California

Del Mar is an upscale beach town in San Diego County, California. The population was 4,161 at the 2010 census, down from 4,389 at the 2000 census. The San Diego County Fair is hosted on the Del Mar Fairgrounds every summer. Del Mar is Spanish for "of the sea" or "by the sea", because it is located...

. An ungraded stakes

Graded stakes race

A graded stakes race is a term applied since 1973 by the American Graded Stakes Committee of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association to thoroughbred horse races in the United States and Canada to describe races that derive their name from the stake, or entry fee, owners must pay...

, it is open to three-year-olds and up willing to race the 1 mile (8 furlong

Furlong

A furlong is a measure of distance in imperial units and U.S. customary units equal to one-eighth of a mile, equivalent to 220 yards, 660 feet, 40 rods, or 10 chains. The exact value of the furlong varies slightly among English-speaking countries....

s) on the dirt. It currently offers a purse of $85,000 added.

The race is named after Windy Sands, born in 1957, by Your Host

Your Host (horse)

Your Host was an American Thoroughbred racehorse. Foaled in California, he was by the imported British stallion Alibhai out of the Irish mare Boudoir by the French stallion Mahmoud. Bred in the stables of Louis B. Mayer , Your Host was owned by Mayer's son-in-law and trained by Harry L. Daniels...

 (sire of Kelso

Kelso (horse)

Kelso was an American thoroughbred race horse considered among the best racehorses of the 20th century. In the list of the top 100 U.S. thoroughbred champions of the 20th Century by The Blood-Horse magazine Kelso ranks 4th, behind only Man o' War , Secretariat and Citation...

, out of Samoa Winds) who holds the Del Mar track record for 1 1/16 miles on dirt of 1:40.00 set on August 4, 1962 in winning the San Diego Handicap

San Diego Handicap

The San Diego Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually in late july/early August at Del Mar Racetrack in Del Mar, California. This Grade II race is open to horses, age three and up, willing to race one and one-sixteenth miles on Polytrack synthetic dirt...

.

Past winners

Winners of the Windy Sands since 2005:

• 2010 - Tropic Storm
• 2009 - Star Nicholas (Michael C. Baze
  Michael C. Baze
  Michael Carl Baze was an American Thoroughbred horse racing jockey.He grew up in a family with an extensive history in the sport. His father was a jockey who rode primarily at tracks in the Pacific Northwest and his uncle Gary Baze is a member of the Washington Racing Hall of Fame. Baze was also a...
  
  )
• 2008 - Albertus Maximus (this was Perfect Drift
  Perfect Drift
  Perfect Drift, is an American thoroughbred gelding racehorse. He is sired by the leading stud, Dynaformer, out of the Naskra mare, Nice Gal....
  
  's last race; he came in third at the age of 9)
• 2007 - Wanna Runner (Tyler Baze
  Tyler Baze
  Tyler Baze is an American Champion jockey. Born into a racing family, both of his parents were jockeys as is his uncle, Gary Baze. His second cousin is U.S. Racing Hall of Fame jockey, Russell Baze....
  
  ) (Grade I winner, Heatseeker, placed.)
• 2006 - Preachinatthebar
• 2005 - Total Impact