McCreery reflects on Fiesolana's career Willie McCreery paid tribute to Fiesolana after confirming his Group One-winning filly has been retired to stud. The five-year-old gave her County Kildare-based trainer his first top-level success when battling to victory in the Matron Stakes at Leopardstown in September, adding to her four Pattern-race victories last year. She finished down the field in what turned out to be her final appearance in the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf at Santa Anita earlier this month, but her trainer said: "She's been great for me the last couple of years and I hope she's as good a mummy as she was a racehorse. "She won the four Group races last year and it was great of the Niarchos family to put faith in me by buying her before bringing her back this season. "For her to win the Group One in Leopardstown was fantastic and her last four races have all been at Group One level. "She's been a pleasure to train and took me to Royal Ascot and the Breeders' Cup. "She'll be sadly missed as I'll have to pay for my own holidays now!"
