Balladeer

Balladeer, a Distorted Humor colt, made his first stakes appearance in career start no. 18 a successful one, winning the Grade 2 John Henry Turf Championship Stakes by a half-length on Oct. 1 at Santa Anita Park. He controlled the pace in the 1 ¼-mile test and gamely held off Masteroffoxhounds in the late stages for a half-length victory.

Prior to the John Henry, Balladeer competed mainly in southern California on the allowance optional claiming circuit and won two of eight starts in 2023 before his stakes debut. He is out of the unraced Galileo mare Golden Ballad and his second dam is Grade 1 winner Golden Ballet. Balladeer is a close relative to Breeders’ Cup Classic winner and Belmont Stakes winner Drosselmeyer.