Does He Know cemented his status as an up-and-coming staying chaser of note with a hard-fought victory in the Grade 3 Jewson Handicap Chase at Cheltenham on Sunday.

It was the seven-year-old’s seventh career success, with his roll of honour including Grade 2 scores in novice hurdling and chasing company, and yet his trainer Kim Bailey said at the weekend that his stable star “has no right to be a racehorse, as he has no pedigree”.

So, with apologies to the breeder, one MW Easterby – who is as renowned for selling his gnashers as much as nags these days, anyway – just how poorly bred is Does He Know?

Let’s start with the sire. As is the case with most thoroughbreds, he is by a top-class racehorse with a good pedigree, in this case the Luca Cumani-trained Japan Cup victor Alkaased, a son of Kingmambo and Chesa Plana, a Group 1-placed Niniski full-sister to multiple Group 1-winning stayer San Sebastian.

So far so good, except Alkaased appears to have delivered his fair share of winners but precious little in the way of quality in his first six generations bred at Darley’s stallion facility in Japan.

He returned to Britain to stand as a dual-purpose sire at former royal jockey Bill Smith’s Kelanne Stud in Hampshire in 2012, and covered a handful of mares at a chickenfeed fee there until 2016.

Does He Know (pictured below) is the sole winner under rules, both on the Flat and over jumps, from only 21 registered foals in those five crops, and there appear to be no more successful horses from the sire’s later stints at stud in Ireland and Italy yet, either.

For all that he was an outstanding racehorse, Alkaased can’t be said to have been a successful stallion, then, even taking into account his lack of opportunity in Britain.

As an indication of just how much of a blip Does He Know is on his sire’s progeny record, he would have to concede a full 4st 1lb to his next best paternal sibling on these shores in a handicap.

So surely there must be more of a clue to his uncommon ability in the maternal family? The answer is yes, a little, so his breeder need not spit any more than usual if he happens to read this.

Does He Know is the second foal out of Diavoleria, a daughter of Slip Anchor sent out by Easterby to win five races – a bumper at Ludlow, hurdles races at Newcastle, Doncaster and Ayr and a novice chase at Kelso – for a highly respectable peak RPR of 123.

Diavoleria was one of three winners out of Markapen, who conversely showed absolute zilch when tailed off in all four starts for Conrad Allen, including in lowly claimers and sellers.

Markapen, a half-sister to Chesham Stakes winner Hastenby, hailed from the first of two crops of Sadler’s Wells’ unraced full-brother Classic Music, and is, incidentally, one of very few transmitters of her sire’s name in pedigrees any more.

Not for the first time when it comes to an unlikely wellspring of talent such as this, there is an Aga Khan Studs bloodline not far away, and Markapen and Hastenby were out of the Aga’s winning Top Ville mare Dahsala, a half-sister to Hardwicke Stakes winner Dihistan, later better known for his pace-setting duties in service of Shahrastani and Shardari, and to Scottish Derby scorer Dazari.

On the balance of probabilities, it therefore looks as though Diavoleria has upgraded her mating with Alkaased to produce the surprisingly skilful Does He Know. The fact that his only other sibling to have raced, the Schiaparelli gelding Where’s Hector, finished placed on all of his first five outings for Mick and David Easterby, lends more credence to the theory.

After Bailey’s not entirely unjustified damning of Does He Know’s pedigree, that should come as some comfort to the mare’s most recent owners according to the new Weatherbys Return of Mares, Valerie Charlton and JP King.

They bred a Sogann colt out of Diavoleria, who was sold as a foal to KCS Bloodstock for a handsome €34,000 at last year’s Tattersalls Ireland November National Hunt Sale, before sending the mare to Poet’s Word and Order Of St George in the past two breeding seasons.

Of course, nurture is as, if not more, important than nature sometimes, and much of the credit for Does He Know must go to his connections, including leading event rider Laura Collett, who worked with the horse to help him regain his confidence after a fall last time.