Ventura Drills 11 Meters Assaying 4.1 gpt Gold and 324 gpt Silver at Inmaculada Project and Extends Angela Vein to Greater Than 1.1 km Strike Length

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Ventura Gold Corp. (“Ventura” or the “Company”) (TSX-V: VGO) has received assay results for seven core holes, at its on-going core drilling program at the Angela Vein of the Inmaculada Project in southern Peru, including one of the best drill results to date of 11 meters (“m”) at an average grade of 4.1 grams per tonne (“gpt”) gold and 324 gpt silver. Ventura is continuing to realize positive results in grade, vein width and continuity.

Drilling has been completed for eight core holes totaling 3,590 m, with assay results for seven holes summarized in Appendix 1, as part of the Company’s planned 22-hole, 7,000 m drill program on the Inmaculada Project through year-end. Highlights of the best drill intersections, all representing estimated true widths and average uncut grades, include:

11.0 m at 4.1 gpt gold and 324 gpt silver in drill hole Inma-61, including 4.5 m at 6.7 gpt gold and 554 gpt silver;

3.0 m at 4.0 gpt gold and 230 gpt silver in drill hole Inma-56.

The drill results have extended the Angela Vein’s strike length by an additional 200 m to more than 1,100 m and by 160 m to a depth of as much as 460 m below surface (see Appendix 2). The deposit remains open at depth and along strike to the northeast. These drill results, which are outside of the boundary for the current inferred resource estimate, are expected to be used in the calculation of an updated mineral resource estimate anticipated for early 2010 following the completion of 2009 drilling.

On January 20, 2009, the Company announced an initial, independent, National Instrument 43-101 compliant inferred mineral resource estimate on the Angela Vein of 483,000 ounces of gold and 16.6 million ounces of silver contained within 3.7 million tonnes at 4.0 gpt gold and 139 g/t silver (100% basis).

The 2009 drill program encompasses 5,000 m at the Angela Vein that is intended to expand the known mineral resource estimate, extend the vein laterally and further define some of the feeder zones that open at depth, and another 2,000 m to drill the untested Anta and Patari vein systems, located approximately seven kilometers (“km”) west of Angela, as well as the down-dip extent of mineralization at the Martha Vein, which was intersected in 2007. All of these vein targets are part of more than 11 known significant vein systems at the Inmaculada Project, which are relatively under-explored and outcrop for more than 25 km.

The Inmaculada Project is a joint venture of Ventura (51% interest), the operator, and its partner, Compañia Minera Ares S.A.C., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hochschild Mining plc. (“Hochschild”). Ventura has elected to earn an additional 19% interest for a total of 70% interest in the Inmaculada Project by solely funding and completing a feasibility study by September 2013. The detailed terms of the joint venture agreement were outlined in the Company’s news release dated February 12, 2007.

The Company estimates that a feasibility study on the Inmaculada Project may include up to 45,000 m of additional drilling in order to provide sufficient information and drill density to potentially expand and upgrade the existing inferred mineral resource estimate to include a significant proportion of measured and indicated mineral resources, and to potentially support the estimation of economic mineral reserves. The feasibility study will also include estimated costs and cash flows in order to determine the economic viability of the project. The Company estimates that the feasibility study may cost up to US$11.0 million over the next 4½-year period and, while the Company has sufficient funding to commence the current drill program, it will require additional financing to complete the full feasibility study.

General

Sample preparation and analytical work for Ventura’s drilling program were carried out by SGS Mineral Services in Lima, Peru, using industry-standard sampling practices and analytical methods for silver and gold. As part of Ventura´s QA/QC protocol, standard samples and blanks are inserted in the sample stream at a rate of one per 10 samples. Duplicate and alternate laboratory check samples also form part of this protocol. The technical disclosure including drill results in this news release were reviewed by Qualified Person, Ventura Exploration Manager Mark Cannuli.

The Angela Vein mineral resources are classified in accordance with CIM guidelines, as required by NI 43-101, by Micon’s Qualified Person B. Terrence Hennessey (P.Geo.), and the estimate has an effective date of January 5, 2009. A technical report on Inmaculada, providing additional information about the mineral resource estimate, mineralization, geology and exploration drilling program at the Angela Vein, was filed on SEDAR on March 6, 2009, and is also available on the Company Web site at www.venturagold.com.

About Ventura

Ventura is an exploration and development company focused on expanding the NI 43-101 compliant initial resource estimate at its 51%-owned Inmaculada gold-silver project in Peru and advancing it towards a feasibility study. Ventura also uses its business alliances through its strategic investments with pre-IPO exploration companies and listed junior companies with exploration properties in some of the major gold belts around the world (currently holding nine equity investments.)

Neither Hochschild Mining plc nor any of its subsidiaries accept any responsibility for the adequacy or inadequacy of the disclosure made in this news release and any such responsibility is hereby disclaimed in all respects.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this News Release.

Cautionary Statement:

Some of the statements contained in this release are “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Canadian securities law requirements. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from the anticipated results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements in this release include statements regarding plans for a feasibility study, future financing, planned drilling and advancement on the Company’s project. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from anticipated results include risks and uncertainties such as: risks relating to mineral resource estimates; drill results, risks relating to obtaining permits; mining and development risks; financing risks; risk of commodity price fluctuations; political and regulatory risks; and other risks and uncertainties detailed in the Company’s Management Discussion and Analysis for the year ended March 31, 2009, which is available at www.sedar.com under the Company’s name. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.


Appendix 1: Inmaculada Project - Angela Vein Drill Results
Angela Vein - Section	Drill Hole	Intersection From-To (meters)	Intersection (meters)	True Width (meters)	Gold (gpt)	Silver (gpt)
11100N	Inma-61	413.00-424.85	11.85	11.0	4.1	324
including		416.3-421.1	4.80	4.5	6.7	554
11000N	Inma-60	440.25-443.97	3.72	3.2	2.0	85
10900N	Inma-59	453.88-462.75	8.87	7.1	1.3	158
10800N	Inma-58	379.33-382.80	3.47	3.3	2.5	165
10700N	Inma-57	421.3-423.3	2.00	2.0	3.6	124
10600N	Inma-56	353.85-357.05	3.20	3.0	4.0	230
10500N	Inma-55	334.55-335.3	1.05	1.0	2.8	232
and		338.55-341.5	2.95	2.8	2.4	142