VENTANA ANNOUNCES ADDITIONAL LA MASCOTA DRILL RESULTS

52.2 METRES OF 6.1 GRAMS PER TONNE GOLD

Vancouver, B.C., July 16, 2009 �Ventana Gold Corp. (TSX: VEN) (Ventana or the Company) is pleased to provide additional drill results from its ongoing 2009 drill program. The Company currently has five core drills operating and a sixth drill is scheduled to arrive early next week. The drill program is focused on testing the down-dip and strike extensions of the high-grade La Mascota mineralized zone on its flagship La Bodega gold property in Colombia. With the addition of more drills, the Company is also conducting in-fill drilling at La Mascota for resource definition purposes.

Gold assay results with completed QA/QC verification have been compiled for drill holes 111A, 114 and 115. Select drill hole intercepts are reported below:

Drill intercepts are based on a 0.5 gram per tonne gold cut-off with no upper cut. Drill intercept lengths are down-hole lengths reflecting apparent widths of mineralization with true widths ranging between 50% -70% of the reported down-hole lengths.

Prior to the current drilling program, the northeast-trending La Mascota mineralization had been defined along 725 metres of strike length, to a depth of 100 metres down-dip, with estimated true composite widths of 20 to 80 metres, remaining open for expansion in all directions. Drill holes 106 through 110 and 112, reported on in prior press releases, confirmed that the La Mascota mineralization continues to at least 250 metres down-dip and discovered additional mineralized structures situated in the footwall of the main zone. Drill holes 111A, 114 and 115, reported on here, were also drilled to test the down-dip extension of mineralization and have confirmed that potentially economic grades and widths extend to at least 250 metres down-dip over a tested strike length thus far of 700 metres. Hole 114 was drilled at the far southwest end of La Mascota and intercepted a broad interval of silicified gneiss with hydrothermal breccias hosting two higher grade intervals and indicates that mineralization in that area extends to greater than 400 metres down-dip.

The 2009 drill program is part of Ventana�s ongoing gold exploration program in the California-Vetas gold mining district of northeast Colombia, where the Company controls mineral rights to 4,573 hectares. Ventana�s exploration activities and all drilling to date have been concentrated on its flagship 185–hectare La Bodega property. Recent property acquisitions have consolidated a land position that provides an additional 1,300 metres of potential strike length to extend the La Mascota zone to the southwest.

A drill hole location map and a complete listing of drill intercepts from the first 115 holes are available at http://www.ventanagold.com/.

Gold mineralization at the La Bodega property is hosted within a broad, northeast-trending fault zone which occurs as a series of north-northwest-dipping parallel-sheeted vein zones, breccias and mineralized faults situated within an envelope of pervasively phyllic altered and variably silicified gneiss and intrusive rocks.

La Mascota Drill Results

Drill hole 111A was drilled from the far northeast sector of La Mascota. It was drilled at a -85 degree angle in a due south direction to test the down-dip extension of mineralization previously encountered in hole 42 (61.6 metres of 2.15 grams per tonne gold and 5.5 metres of 8.63 grams per tonne gold). It cut through six mineralized intervals ranging from 2.5 to 8.0 metres in drilled length, with the best of these including 7.0 metres of 5.84 grams per tonne gold (including 2.0 metres of 18.94 grams per tonne gold) starting at 211.0 metres drilled depth, and 8.0 metres of 4.09 grams per tonne gold starting at 298.0 metres drilled depth. Drill hole 111A indicates the mineralization in this area extends to at least 250 metres down-dip

Drill hole 114 was drilled at the far southwest sector of La Mascota. It was drilled at a -85 degree angle in a due south direction to test the down-dip extension of mineralization previously encountered in holes 100 (57.4 metres of 8.66 grams per tonne gold) and 112 (94.5 metres of 5.83 grams per tonne gold). Hole 114 cut through a broad zone (249.2 metres of 2.52 grams per tonne gold) of silicified gneiss with numerous cross-cutting hydrothermal breccias up to six metres wide with the best intercepts within this broad zone of 52.2 metres of 6.10 grams per tonne gold starting at 275.3 metres drilled depth and 11.5 metres of 7.52 grams per tonne gold starting at 360.50 metres drilled depth. Drill hole 114 was drilled to a total depth of 566.2 metres and indicates that the down-dip extent of mineralization in this area reaches to at least 400 metres.

Drill hole 115 was drilled in the central sector of La Mascota as a vertical hole to test the down-dip extension of mineralization previously encountered in holes 4 (47 metres of 7.04 grams per tonne gold) and 5 (28 metres of 2.69 grams per tonne gold). It cut through 12 mineralized intervals ranging from 1.8 to 30.55 metres in drilled length with the best of these including 5.0 metres of 16.72 grams per tonne gold starting at 153.0 metres drilled depth and 30.55 metres of 7.79 grams per tonne gold starting at 237.8 metres drilled depth. Drill hole 115 was drilled to a total depth of 362.4 metres and indicates that the down-dip extent of mineralization in this area extends to at least 225 metres.

Review by Qualified Person, Quality Control and Reports

Results of the Company�s drilling program have been reviewed, verified, and compiled by Ventana�s VP of Exploration Jon Lehmann, L.P.G., a Qualified Person for the purpose of National Instrument 43-101 (NI 43-101). Mr. Lehmann has over 25 years of mineral exploration experience, is a Licensed Professional Geologist in the state of Washington and a member in good standing of the Canadian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy.

To ensure reliable sample results Ventana has a rigorous QA/QC program in place that monitors the chain-of-custody of samples and includes the insertion of blanks, duplicates, and certified reference standards in each batch of samples. Core is photographed and sawed in half with one half retained in a secured facility for verification purposes. Sample preparation (crushing and pulverizing) is performed at an independent local laboratory established by a joint effort between the regional environmental permitting agency (CDMB) and the German Geological Survey, and at the Colombian preparation laboratory of Inspectorate Laboratories, a worldwide ISO 9001:2001 certified laboratory. Prepared samples are direct-shipped to ACME Analytical Laboratories in Vancouver, B.C., an ISO 9001:2000 certified laboratory, for analysis. Pulp splits of mineralized intervals are re-assayed at an independent referee laboratory, Inspectorate America Corp. in Reno, Nevada.

Updated, independent NI 43-101 technical reports were prepared in June 2008 by EurGeol Miller O�Prey, PGeo, for the La Bodega property and the nearby California-Vetas property to provide a current review of exploration activities.

About Ventana

Ventana is a Vancouver-based mineral exploration and development company with mineral rights to 4,573 hectares of exploration property in northeastern Colombia. Ventana is currently drilling at the La Bodega property with a focus on expanding the high-grade La Mascota zone. The Company�s shares trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol VEN.

Forward-looking Statements

The statements that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements involving known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to vary materially from targeted results. Such risks and uncertainties include those described from time to time in Ventana�s latest quarterly report and management discussion and analysis. Ventana assumes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

For additional information please visit http://www.ventanagold.com/ or contact:

Meghan Brown, Investor Relations Manager

tel (604) 638 2002

email mbrown@ventanagold.com

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