ARCADIA, Calif. - Racing over extended distances has changed the career of the 4-year-old colt Balladeer in recent weeks. After leading throughout an allowance race at 1 5/16 miles on Kentucky Downs on Sept. 9, Balladeer scored an upset win in his stakes debut in Sunday’s Grade 2 John Henry Turf Championship at 1 1/4 miles at Santa Anita. The win was less of an upset than some bettors expected. Balladeer was 12-1 as the field of eight was being loaded in the gate. He went off at 6-1 and paid $15. Ridden for the first time by Victor Espinoza, Balladeer was timed in 1:58.94 and earned a career-best Beyer Speed Figure of 97.  Balladeer led by as many as four lengths in the first half of the $201,500 John Henry Turf Championship. Espinoza said the colt was easy to handle, with the exception of a brief incident when he veered to the outside when the field crossed the dirt course, going from the hillside portion of the turf course to the main turf course. :: Bet with the Best! Get Free DRF PPs and Cashback when you wager. Join DRF Bets. “He was strong,” Espinoza said. “He lugged out a little bit. I was trying to control him without fighting too much.” Balladeer set a decent pace of 23.36 seconds for the opening quarter-mile and 47.41 for a half-mile. “The fractions were quicker than I wanted, but he was doing it easy,” Espinoza said. “I wanted to be a good pilot and let him do his thing.” Masteroffoxhounds, who won the 2022 John Henry, was second for the first mile, and seemed well placed under jockey Edwin Maldonado to challenge Balladeer in the stretch. “At the three-eighths pole, I thought I had him,” Maldonado said. “I could see no one was coming.” Through the stretch, Balladeer was game, holding a half-length advantage to the wire over 12-1 Masteroffoxhounds. “The closer I got, the more he took off,” Maldonado said. “He kept inching away.” Espinoza thought Balladeer had something in reserve. “I thought he was waiting for me to let him run,” he said. Speaking Scout (7-1) closed from seventh to finish third, and was followed by Planetario, Gold Phoenix, Yes This Time, Offlee Naughty and Cash Equity. Gold Phoenix, the 6-5 favorite, was beaten four lengths without posing a threat. Gold Phoenix won the Grade 2 Del Mar Handicap on Sept. 2 and holds a fees-paid berth to the Breeders’ Cup Turf at Santa Anita on Nov. 4. Balladeer, by Distorted Humor, has won 4 of 18 starts and earned $367,290 for owners Calvin Ngyuen and Joey Tran. Trained by George Papaprodromou, Balladeer has won three times this year, including an allowance race at 1 1/8 miles on turf in June. In two starts in allowance races on turf at the Del Mar meeting, Balladeer was eighth in a race at 1 1/8 miles on July 21 and fourth in a one-mile race on Aug. 19. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.