THE Listed Grande Steeple Chase du Conseil Departemental de la Mayenne at Craon is not a race that many people outside France will be familiar with, but last weekend’s winner Off By Heart does have a connection to a smart Irish-bred and trained runner.

The eight-year-old son of Kapgarde was a leading young National Hunt performer in France as a four-year-old when his five victories that year included two Grade 3 chases at Auteuil over the distance of his most recent success, two miles and five furlongs. Off By Heart then had a few years in the semi-wilderness, but looked to be coming back to form last year when finishing second in the Grand Steeplechase de Bordeaux.

His latest win confirms his well-being and he has a really interesting jumping pedigree. He is the last of seven foals produced by the Dom Pasquini mare Fassonwest and she won a couple of races as a three-year-old in France. All of her offspring ran and only one, which was placed, failed to win. However, what is more significant is that four of her six winners won blacktype races over jumps.

Her first and second foals, Nagging and Westos, were both sons of Nikos and each won six races in France. The similarities don’t end there and they also won the same listed race, the Prix Roger de Minvielle Chase at Enghien-Soisy in consecutive years. This is a race for three-year-olds, so precocity is obviously a family feature.

The other blacktype winner out of Fassonwest is the Mansonnien mare Westonne and she won the Grade 3 Prix Fleuret Chase at Auteuil as a four-year-old. Even more significantly, she has made the perfect start at stud and her Poliglote sons So French and Device have won three listed hurdles races between them in 2014 and 2015. This is a family growing in success all the time.

The crossing with Nikos and this female line has been especially rewarding and two of Fassonwest’s siblings by that son of Nonoalco produced successful outcomes. On the racecourse Nononito showed his class on the flat and over jumps, but his most significant success was gained at Longchamp when he won the Group 1 Prix du Cadran. He also finished third to Classic Cliche and Double Trigger in the Ascot Gold Cup. At stud he is best remembered as the sire of the brilliant racemare over jumps Princesse D’Anjou.

The other noteworthy offspring by Nikos and out of Feuille D’Automne, the dam of Fassonwest, is Silaoce and while she showed no useful form on the racecourse she has gone on at stud to breed a Grade 1 winner in Muirhead.

The son of Flemensfirth won the Grade 1 Royal Bond Novice Hurdle and added the Munster National at Limerick. His now five-year-old full-brother Hawkhurst was sold at Brightwells earlier this year to Kieran McManus for £200,000. The now 19-year-old Silaoce has a filly foal on the ground by Fame And Glory.