Ventura Express

The place that brings out the best in Ventura Express is Beverley, a tight, undulating track in East Yorkshire where horses who know how to race smart tend to thrive. It has won 2 of its 5 races there — that's a 40% win rate at the course, which is extraordinary given it only wins about 9% of the time everywhere else. Its first win came at Beverley in July 2022, and its most recent win came there too, in July 2024. The track clearly suits it down to the ground.

Trainer Paul Midgley, who operates out of Westow in North Yorkshire and has sent out 39 winners this season alone, knows exactly what makes this horse tick. He has spoken about how Ventura Express needs a strong, end-to-end gallop over a stiff five furlongs — a pace that tests stamina rather than finishing speed. When those conditions come together, the horse is genuinely competitive. When they don't, as was the case at a recent run at Pontefract where the pace was slow, it can find itself out of its comfort zone. Midgley was refreshingly candid about that, noting the horse simply needs the race run to suit it.

Dry ground also plays a role. On fast ground, Ventura Express has won 2 from 15 races — around 1 in every 7 or 8, which is noticeably better than its overall record. Jockey David Nolan has ridden it in 12 of its races and won twice together, a win rate of roughly 1 in 6, which suggests a partnership that works when the pieces fall into place.

It hasn't won in its last six races, and the most recent form figures — finishing fifth, third, fifth, fourth, fourth, and sixth — tell the story of a horse chasing the right opportunity. At nine years old and raced just yesterday, Ventura Express is still out there looking for it.