Palace Malice was one of five in the mile-and-a-half contest trained by Todd Pletcher, who also picked up prize money with fifth-placed Revolutionary.
The start of the mile-and-a-half contest was delayed because Rock Hard Ten had to be dismounted and then blindfolded to persuade him to enter the stalls.
With Ryan Moore, O'Brien's No1 rider, aboard Found (the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe winner), Heffernan had an excellent opportunity to record his first success at the Breeders' Cup and he seized the initiative from the early stages of this mile-and-a-half contest.
In Sunday's showpiece, Colm O'Donoghue settled Treasure Beach in fourth for much of the mile-and-a-half contest, with his stablemate Memphis Tennessee, under O'Brien's son Joseph, setting the pace.
The 7-1 shot navigated his way through the two-and-a-half-mile contest nimbly and efficiently under a well-judged ride from Nick Scholfield.
James Fanshawe's stayer was given plenty of rope from an early stage in the two-and-a-half-mile contest and Moore made them pay.
Yesterday was Pineau De Re's second victory in a Grand National, having won the Ulster version, a three-and-a-half-mile contest over regulation fences, at Downpatrick a year ago.
Although three fillies (Zarkava won in 2008 and Solemia triumphed last year) have landed the mile-and-a-half French contest in the past five years, colts had won all previous runnings since Urban Sea in 1993.
Without their two primary scorers tonight, the Nets wanted to turn the game into a half-court contest.
That was that in a tight second-half contest until the 93rd minute – when Cissé's back provided a sting in the tail for the Magpies, and another late whack where it hurts for the Baggies, who lost in similar circumstances at home to Manchester City last week.
That the Crusaders conceded only three second-half tries, to Phelps, Roberts and Lee Mossop, was more down to a lack of finishing finesse from the home side than a more balanced second-half contest.
