I MAKE no apologies for including a review of the pedigree of Off Limits again in this column. She is proving to be one of the most improved runners of the year and on the same weekend that Coolmore extolled the virtues of Mastercraftsman in this paper, she became his fourth northern hemisphere Group 1 winner and his sixth in all.

She scooped a cheque for $180,000 when seeing off another Irish-bred in Hawksmoor to bring her lifetime record to seven wins in 17 starts after she annexed the Grade 1 Matriarch Stakes at Del Mar. Trained by Chad Brown for Martin Schwartz, the five-year-old is from the second crop of Mastercraftsman (Danehill Dancer). The first crop included The Grey Gatsby, Kingston Hill and Amazing Maria. Mastercraftsman will stand at €25,000 again in 2018.

Off Limits won the Listed Cairn Rouge Stakes at Killarney as a three-year-old in 2015 when trained by David Wachman. She then transferred to Chad Brown’s stable in the USA and after a winless year in 2016 has hit form again, winning five of her six starts this year. She preceded her Grade 1 win with a pair of Grade 3 successes and her earnings now are north of $600,000.

Bred by the Carlingford Breeding Syndicate, Off Limits was sold from Seskin Stud to Tom King for €24,000 as a foal at Goffs.

She is easily the best of four winners from the Efisio (Formidable) mare Ravish who was placed a few times. The best of the rest, who have won 21 races between them, is Seinellanima (Oratorio) and she won five times at two in Italy and was stakes placed.

Ravish has five winning siblings and the best of them was the French listed winner Special Discount (Nureyev). His full-sister Yakin was placed in a listed race for two-year-olds at Ayr 25 years ago, while yet another own-sister Sarooh’s Love bred a minor stakes winner in France named Prends Ton Temps (Exit To Nowhere).

Ravish is out of Looks Sensational (Majestic Light) and she is a half-sister to the Grade 1 Flamingo Stakes and American Derby winner Awe Inspiring (Slew O’Gold) and his Grade 2 winning close relative Recognizable (Seattle Slew).

Go back one more generation and there is no shortage of Group/Grade 1 winners on the pedigree page. They include, in no particular order, champion three-year-old Zilzal (Nureyev), champion Canadian juvenile filly Negligee (Northern Afleet), dual Group 1 winner Polish Precedent (Danzig), and Prix Marcel Boussac and French 1000 Guineas winner Culture Vulture (Timeless Moment).