ACE LAST STRAW — AI Analysis

ACE LAST STRAW is a female English Setter bred from a pedigree that blends classic foot-hunting setter blood with a heavy dose of proven field trial influence. On paper, this is the kind of cross a bird hunter notices right away because it stacks Brannigan, Grid Iron, Ridge Creek, Long Gone, Grouse Ridge, Houston, and Blue Diamond blood in one package. The sire side leans into hard-driving, bird-finding field setters with recognizable championship depth, while the dam side brings in Pennstar, Long Gone Studley, Rivers Edge Sadie, and deep Grouse Ridge breeding that has long been associated with class on wild birds, range, style, and application. For a buyer studying pedigrees, this female looks like she was bred to be useful first and competitive if the individual matched the paper.

The English Setter is one of the most natural bird dogs ever made for a man who likes to watch a dog hunt with reach, class, and a high head in the wind. A good setter covers ground with easy motion, carries itself with style, and handles game in a way that feels almost effortless. In the field, the breed is known for nose, biddability, and an instinctive feel for birds, especially on upland game. The better field-bred English Setters combine enough run to reach objectives with enough cooperation to stay practical for a walking hunter. When the blood is right, they point with intensity, back naturally, and move through country with the kind of efficiency that saves a hunter boot leather. This pedigree reads like a field-oriented English Setter family rather than a purely bench-bred one, so the expectation would be a dog with hunting sense, attractive style, and enough grit to handle real bird work.

This pedigree tells a clear story of purpose breeding. The top side comes down through DENCOS BOBBY BRANNIGAN, a son of BRANNIGAN’S LAST STRAW and FIREBUG, with 4X CH BRANNIGAN sitting close and backed by 7X CH GRID IRON, IM OSCAR, and COPPERSMITH. That side carries old setter horsepower and trial credibility, and it looks built around forward race, bird sense, and class on point. The bottom side through PAT’S KENTUCKY SADIE adds another layer of field practicality. MOTZ’S SAMSON brings PENNSTAR and MOTZ’S RARE GEM, while BLUE RIDGE KATEY ties in 3X RU LONG GONE STUDLEY and 5X CH RIVERS EDGE SADIE. Dig a little deeper and the pedigree starts to show the Long Gone and Grouse Ridge families repeatedly, which is often where a breeder finds the staying power, bird application, and hunting intelligence that hold up over time. Altogether, ACE LAST STRAW appears to come from a mating designed to keep field ability concentrated without getting so tight that it loses flexibility.

Based on the pedigree provided, ACE LAST STRAW shows moderate linebreeding rather than an extreme close inbreeding pattern. The clearest repeated ancestor inside the visible pedigree is 4X CH BRANNIGAN, who appears once in the third generation on the sire side and again in the sixth generation through CH HOUSTONS BELLE. Using the supplied six-generation table and treating only confirmed repeated ancestors shown in the pedigree, the estimated coefficient of inbreeding is approximately 0.20%. That is a very low calculated figure from the documented repeats visible here, though the real-world pedigree influence is stronger than that number alone suggests because line families such as Long Gone, Grouse Ridge, Houston, and Brannigan appear through related branches and historical family clustering. Genetically, this kind of pedigree often preserves type in hunting style without locking the dog into a narrow genetic corner. It suggests a fair chance of inherited pointing instinct, good nose, competitive desire, and enough mental balance for hunting homes. No direct health test data is included in the pedigree, so anyone making breeding or buying decisions should still verify modern DNA and orthopedic screening separately, especially for issues relevant to English Setters such as hip quality, thyroid status, hearing, and general autoimmune soundness.

The strongest ancestral fingerprints in this pedigree come from 4X CH BRANNIGAN, 7X CH GRID IRON, 3X RU LONG GONE STUDLEY, 5X CH RIVERS EDGE SADIE, 5XCH GROUSE RIDGE REROY, 8X CH HAMILTONS BLUE DIAMOND, and the older Houston and Long Gone dogs behind them. Brannigan gives this pedigree a recognizable field-trial backbone and likely contributes intensity, class, and a forward-going race. Grid Iron has long been associated in setter circles with strength, ground application, and bird-finding ability. The Long Gone branch, especially through Studley and Buckwheat, usually suggests dogs that carry themselves with animation and know how to handle wild bird country. Rivers Edge Sadie adds proven female strength, which matters more than many casual pedigree readers realize. The Grouse Ridge dogs bring another layer of foot-hunting realism and bird sense. When you see those families together, you expect a dog with both run and usefulness rather than one that is all race and no handle.

This is a strong championship pedigree for a hunting setter. Visible titled dogs include 4X CH BRANNIGAN, 7X CH GRID IRON, 3XCH/R-U CH RIDGE CREEK CODY, CH RAGGED HILL NIP, 2X CH SMOKE SCREEN, CH PRIVATE RYAN, CH/R-U CH CANT GO WRONG, CH HOUSTONS BELLE, CH ORCHARD VALLEY SKYLIGHT, CH BLUE GRASS, 8X CH HAMILTONS BLUE DIAMOND, CH WRONG WAY, CH SEE JOHNNY RUN, 2X CH SEE JOHNNY RUN, RU-CH SUPER GHOST, 2X CH/R-U CH NORTHERN ANNDEE, GNG 4XCH LONG GONE BUCKWHEAT, 3X CH/R-U CH SHADY HILLS BILLY, CH STARS MISTY GHOST, CH NORTHERN ALIBI, 5X CH RIVERS EDGE SADIE, 5XCH GROUSE RIDGE REROY, 8X CH/4X RU CH LONG GONE AGNES, 2X CH 3X R-U CH LONG GONE GEORGE, CH GROUSE RIDGE REROY, CH LONG GONE MITTENS, 5X CH/3X RUNNER UP CH FIRST RATE, 3X CH STOKELYS DIABLO GINGER, and CH GROUSE RIDGE STORM. Counting only what is visible in the table, there are more than 30 titled or champion-designated ancestors, which gives this female a pedigree loaded with competitive field credentials rather than casual backyard breeding.

From a breeder’s standpoint, ACE LAST STRAW looks like she should have had the genetic ingredients for a serious upland dog. The sire side suggests reach, style, and confidence, while the dam side brings a practical hunting bottom with enough class to keep the picture pretty. I would expect the best dogs from this kind of cross to show an early attraction to birds, a medium to medium-big race depending on development and handling, and a natural tendency to hunt objectives instead of wandering empty ground. There is likely enough trial blood here to produce speed and animation, but not so much that the dog would automatically be too much for a hunting home. If the individual inherited the best of the Long Gone and Grouse Ridge influence along with Brannigan and Grid Iron intensity, she would likely be strongest as an upland gun dog with the ability to handle quail, grouse, woodcock, and prairie birds. Her best fit would probably be with a hunter who appreciates style on point and enough range to hunt country correctly.

The first thing to notice is that this is not a random setter pedigree. It is layered with known field families, and the concentration of titled dogs tells you generations of selection were aimed at bird work. The second insight is that the sire side carries recognizable competitive fire, while the dam side adds depth and maternal strength through families that repeatedly produced useful hunting setters. The third point is that the visible inbreeding coefficient is low, but the pedigree is still linebred by family identity, which can be a very good thing when a breeder wants consistency in style and instinct without pushing too tight genetically. For hunters researching this dog, the pedigree suggests a female likely bred for nose, point, and application rather than sheer kennel-paper fashion. For breeders, the pedigree offers a foundation with enough proven blood to breed forward if matched to the right outcross.

No direct record of littermates, famous brothers, sisters, or offspring for ACE LAST STRAW is provided in the pedigree data you supplied, so those details remain unknown from this source alone. That said, the pedigree is closely connected to influential and widely recognized field names including 4X CH BRANNIGAN, 7X CH GRID IRON, GNG 4XCH LONG GONE BUCKWHEAT, 5X CH RIVERS EDGE SADIE, 5XCH GROUSE RIDGE REROY, and 8X CH HAMILTONS BLUE DIAMOND. Those are the kind of relatives that give a pedigree credibility with English Setter men who have followed field blood over the years.

On paper, a female bred like ACE LAST STRAW would often cross well with a male from a strong but genetically different field setter family that reinforces bird sense, trainability, and endurance without doubling too hard on Brannigan or Long Gone. Good outcross options in principle would be setter lines known for wild-bird sense and cooperation, especially if they bring modern health testing and proven hunting production. A sensible breeding plan would look for a dog with a clean front, strong hips, natural handle, and a calmer brain if this female leaned high-powered, or more drive and range if she leaned conservative. In practical breeder terms, the best outcross would be a proven producer from an unrelated field-bred English Setter family that still matches this pedigree in class and nose.

If I were studying this female as breeding stock, I would see value in her because she sits at the crossroads of several serious field families without being excessively tight inbreeding on the face of the pedigree. That gives a breeder room to make choices. She would be useful to linebreed back into field-proven setter blood if the goal were to hold style, bird instinct, and competitive edge, but she could also serve as a very practical brood female for an outcross designed to widen the gene pool while keeping the same hunting identity. The key would be to mate her to a male that is proven on birds, structurally sound, and mentally steady. This pedigree says she likely carried enough inherited quality that a breeder should not waste her on an unproven sire.

ACE LAST STRAW is a female English Setter carrying the kind of pedigree that speaks plainly to bird hunters and setter men who know what they are looking at. Sired by DENCOS BOBBY BRANNIGAN and out of PAT’S KENTUCKY SADIE, she blends old setter field power with generations of proven bird dog blood. The top side is anchored by 4X CH BRANNIGAN, 7X CH GRID IRON, and Ridge Creek and Houston influence, while the bottom side reaches into PENNSTAR, LONG GONE STUDLEY, RIVERS EDGE SADIE, and deep GROUSE RIDGE breeding. That is not just decoration on paper. It is the sort of family structure that usually points toward a dog with nose, style, and enough ground race to hunt like a setter ought to hunt. The English Setter has always had a place with hunters who want more than just a dog that finds birds. A good one hunts with rhythm, carries itself with class, and locks up on game in a way that makes a shotgun feel lighter in your hands. This pedigree suggests that kind of natural promise. ACE LAST STRAW appears bred for real upland work, with the likely potential for a forward race, strong pointing instinct, and the kind of bird application that matters on wild coveys and educated birds. Her visible pedigree shows a notably deep champion influence, with more than 30 titled or champion-designated ancestors in the supplied table. Despite that concentration of quality, the estimated coefficient of inbreeding from the visible repeated ancestors is only about 0.20%, which suggests moderate family linebreeding without a harsh close-bred pattern. In plain terms, she looks like a female with enough concentrated setter character to reproduce type, but still enough genetic flexibility to be useful in a thoughtful breeding program. For hunters researching English Setter pedigrees, ACE LAST STRAW stands out as the kind of female who likely carried both field trial heritage and day-to-day hunting value. For breeders, she represents a well-built foundation of Brannigan, Long Gone, Grouse Ridge, and Houston blood that could be linebred carefully or crossed out to another proven field family. If the individual matched the paper, this is the sort of setter that would appeal to folks who want style in the front, birds in the pocket, and a pedigree that means something when the tailgate drops.