by Ed DeRosa

Ventura justified her trainer’s confidence when she circled the field in the $916,000 Sentient Flight Group Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint and drew off to a four-length victory over multiple Grade 1 winner Indian Blessing on Friday at the Oak Tree meet at Santa Anita Park.

Racing Hall of Fame trainer Bobby Frankel told anyone who would listen in the days preceding the Breeders’ Cup that Ventura was his most likely winner. Confidence around Ventura was so high that Prince Khalid Abdullah, whose Juddmonte Farms owns and bred the four-year-old Chester House filly, came to Santa Anita for the race.

Ventura broke slowly and was well off the pace set by Dearest Trickski, who led through a half-mile in :44.02 with favored Indian Blessing pressing her. Indian Blessing seized the lead turning for home but Ventura loomed boldly on the outside and blew by her chief rival inside the eighth pole.

“I was worried when she broke slow, but when I saw her on the turn I was confident,” Frankel said. “The outside [post position] worked out for us. You don’t want traffic with a filly like this.”

Ventura completed the seven furlongs in 1:19.90, just .01 seconds off Indian Blessing’s track record she set on the old Cushion Track surface on January 13. Santa Anita replaced Cushion Track with the synthetic Pro-Ride surface for its summer meeting.

Jockey John Velazquez said Indian Blessing was still running her best when Ventura engaged her, but his mount was no match for the eventual winner.

“Everything went the way I want,” Velazquez said. “She didn’t have a problem with the surface, and I thought there’d be no speed. Then when I made the lead no one was coming. When [Ventura] went by I just said, ‘“Wow.’”

Zaftig closed to finish third, two lengths behind Indian Blessing and 1 1/4 lengths in front of Miraculous Miss.

For a video replay of the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint, click here.

For an Equibase chart, click here.

Ed DeRosa is news editor of Thoroughbred Times