Wings of Eagles is a dark-coated bay colt with a large white star bred in France by Aliette and Gilles Forien.

[2] He is from the second crop of the Irish-bred stallion Pour Moi, who won the 2011 Epsom Derby as well as the Group 2 Prix Greffulhe the same year.

He showed some reluctance to enter the starting stalls and made no impact in the race, finishing seventh behind the Dermot Weld-trained Lost in Silence.

Three weeks later the colt was partnered by Emmet McNamara for a similar event at Killarney Racecourse and started the 5/2 second choice in the betting behind the John Oxx-trained Birds of Prey.

After racing in third place Wings of Eagles went to the front a furlong out and won by one and a quarter lengths from the favourite despite showing signs of inexperience (running "green").

[12] Wings of Eagles was then sent to England for the Listed Zetland Stakes over ten furlongs on 10 October at Newmarket Racecourse.

On his final appearance of the season the colt was sent to France and stepped up to Group 1 class for the Critérium de Saint-Cloud on 30 October.

[16] Wings of Eagles was one of six starters for O'Brien in the Derby and was generally overlooked by bettors in favour of his stablemates, going off at odds of 40–1.

Ridden by Ryan Moore he was restrained in the early stages before staying on in the straight and finished third, beaten a neck and a short head by Capri and Cracksman.