It was Frankel who convinced her Juddmonte Farms connections to change plans
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“It was Bobby’s last wish,” said Garrett O’Rourke, Juddmonte Farms’ manager.
“He said so the Friday before he died. He called me up, and I got the feeling it
was the goodbye phone call. And he told me that he was scared and what he was
going to do, not take anymore of the transfusions. And he paused — that chokes
anyone up — then he turned around and said, ‘Talk to Humberto, we’re still
going with Ventura, right? Just tell him two easy half-miles and she will be
there.’ He knew he was going in days, and still, it was that important to him.”
Frankel did not live to see the outcome, succumbing to lymphoma on November
16, but Ventura rewarded his faith with a blistering performance as the 3-5
favorite. Ventura was also completing a quick Grade 1 double for the barn, which
had collected Friday’s Citation H. (G1) with Fluke (Brz) (Wild Event) on the
opening day of Hollywood’s Turf Festival.
“I wanted this one more — for him (Frankel),” Ascanio said. “I wish
(Ventura) could stay one more year, but that’s the last call. And that’s why he
wanted her in, he knew she was gonna win this one. They wanted to retire her a
winner.”
Regular rider Garrett Gomez tucked Ventura along the rail, just behind the
front-running Tuscan Evening (Ire) (Oasis Dream [GB]). As the pacesetter carved
out splits of :24, :47 3/5 and 1:11, Ventura was a powder keg waiting to
explode.
Switching to the outside for a clear path turning for home, Ventura inhaled
Tuscan Evening in short order, and this time, unlike some of her past races, she
did not hang around waiting for company. The mercurial Ventura was all business
on Saturday, stamping her authority by drawing 1 3/4 lengths clear. Even more
significantly, the dark bay mare blazed her way through the final furlong to
finish the firm-turf mile in a stakes-record 1:33 2/5.
“She’s just been amazing,” Gomez said. “She’s probably one of the best
fillies I’ve ever ridden going a mile. Actually she is the best filly
I’ve ridden going a mile. She has the most explosive turn of foot I’ve ever
seen. I don’t want to see her go. I wish she could stick around another year. I
actually think she’s better now than she was as a four-year-old. In a lot of her
other races she tried to pull herself up, but today when I asked her to go, she
went and accelerated and ran away from them. But she’s got another career in
front of her now, and hopefully she’ll send some of her babies my way.”
Tuscan Evening held second by a half-length from the belatedly rallying
Diamondrella (GB) (Rock of Gibraltar [Ire]). Another four lengths back came
Rutherienne (Pulpit) in fourth, followed by longshots Puttanesca (NZ) (Bertolini)
and Taste’s Sis (Marquetry). April Pride (GB) (Falbrav [Ire]) was scratched.
Ventura returned $3.20, $2.20 and $2.10. The remainder of the field finished
as their odds prescribed. Tuscan Evening, the nearly 3-1 second choice, paid
$2.80 and $2.20 and ended the $3.30 exacta ($1). Diamondrella, the 5-1 third
choice, gave back $2.40 and concluded the $5.90 trifecta ($1). Rutherienne, the
7-1 fourth choice, capped the 4-6-3-5 superfecta that totaled $11.40 ($1).
In 2008, her first season in Frankel’s care, Ventura captured the Breeders’
Ventura opened 2009 with a victory in the Santa Monica H. (G1) on Pro-Ride,
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After a five-month freshening, Ventura reappeared in the September 20
Woodbine Mile (Can-G1), and promptly dismantled a field of males in a
stakes-record 1:32, becoming the first distaffer to win Canada’s signature event
for milers. She entered her title defense in the Filly & Mare Sprint as the 4-5
favorite, but found herself too far back off a relatively tepid first quarter.
While Ventura tried to overhaul a perfect-trip Informed Decision, she ultimately
had to settle for second.
Ventura was produced by the multiple French stakes-placed Estala (GB) (Be My
Guest), who is herself a half-sister to English Group 3 warrior Vortex (GB) (Danehill);
French stakes victress and classic-placed Erudite (Generous); and French Group 3
queens Prove (Danehill) and Danefair (Danehill), the latter the dam of multiple
English Group 3 winner Trade Fair (GB) (Zafonic). Ventura’s third dam is Cairn
Rouge (Ire) (Pitcairn), heroine of the Irish One Thousand Guineas (Ire-G1) and
Champion S. (Eng-G1) in 1980.
With Ventura’s victory on Saturday, Juddmonte has now won a record six
Matriarchs. O’Rourke reflected on the special bond that Frankel had with his
Juddmonte runners, especially the distaffers.
“Obviously they are all special,” O’Rourke said. “Over the years Bobby
developed a few favorites. Most of them were fillies, and (Ventura) was
definitely one of them. She can be a mean devil, and he used to laugh at that
because she was all personality, and he was all personality, himself.”