Abstract. In this work, a controls-oriented wake model is modified and compared to an analytical Gaussian wake model and high-fidelity simulation data. This model, called the curled wake model, captures a wake phenomenon that occurs behind yawed turbines, modeled as a collection of vortices shed from the rotor plane. Through turbine simulations, these vortices are shown to have a significant impact on the prediction of wake steering's performance. Also, optimizations using the model are performed and produce results consistent with recent published research. Results indicate that wind farm controllers designed and analyzed with the curled wake model produce wake steering controllers which can realize larger gains in power production than previously estimated. Overall, the results support the concept of secondary steering, or a yawed turbine's ability to deflect the wake of a downstream turbine, and suggest that future turbine wake studies and yaw optimizations should include the curled wake phenomenon.