Valentana can complete hat-trick for filly king McCreery

Four-year-old filly Valentana can maintain her progress by completing a hat-trick in the 7f handicap (5.30) at Roscommon this evening. Her trainer Willie McCreery has established an excellent reputation with fillies, recording the most significant win of his career with Fiesolana in the Matron Stakes at Leopardstown two seasons ago, and he has achieved Pattern success with DolceStrega and Devonshire this season. He is also adept at coaxing improvement from fillies at a much lower level of competition, and Valentana's recent form provides a good example.

McCreery and jockey Billy Lee seem to have found the key to the Haatef filly. She has learned to settle and Lee has produced her from off the pace to win races at Tipperary and Killarney in assertive fashion.

She has gone up 12lb for those two wins but could still be on a fair mark judging by the way she coped at Killarney, proving much too strong for Intrepid Prince, who was chasing a hat-trick following a heavily-gambled Galway success and a smooth win under a penalty at Naas.