Fancy win Stateside for Lisheen Stud's stallion Rajj

The story of what might have been the least-known thoroughbred stallion in Ireland at one stage reached into another chapter at Laurel Park on Sunday when Rajj achieved a stakes-race victory in America.

Exceptionally well-bred but unraced due to injury, the son of Danehill out of blue-blooded Sadler’s Wells mare Makarova has been standing at Homer Scott’s Lisheen Stud in County Kildare.

Essentially just serving mares owned by Scott’s family and associates, he is registered with a private fee but has managed to deliver several useful horses from his threadbare squad.

One, Insayshable, won a couple of times for Ger Lyons before a transfer to John Size in Hong Kong, where he has been a fine money-spinner in handicaps and was third in the Group 3 Lion Rock Trophy at the start of this month.

His daughter I’m So Fancy, whom Scott owned with friend Jim Nicholson, has done even better as she took two Listed races and a Group 3 at the Curragh last season for Jessica Harrington and performed well in the Prix Jean Romanet.

Out of the winning King’s Best mare Royal Jelly, she was sold for $500,000 at the last Tattersalls December Sale and moved to the care of Lael Stables and the American-based Frenchman Arnaud Delancour.

After a warm-up fourth in last month’s Grade 3 Gallorette Stakes at Pimlico, I’m So Fancy was on the mark on the turf in Maryland as she took the black type Big Dreyfus Stakes over an extended mile under Trevor McCarthy.

Rajj is also continuing to punch well above his weight back home. All three of his offspring to have appeared in Ireland this year - My Laureate, Fancy Feat and My Mystique - have won a race.

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