Hector Fawley shows Group quality in Hume Cup heats
Hector Fawley served up a blistering performance with the fastest time from five heats of the Group 1 Hume Cup at The Meadows on Monday night.
Trained by Lisa Cockerell, the chaser lined up in his heat of the 600m contest as an +710 chance with greyhound bookmakers.
Ailee Bale (+790) led into the first turn with a run on the rails before Hector Fawley took over as they passed the grandstand.
Cockerell's dog extended his lead along the back straight and kicked away again as they entered the home stretch, running on to win it from Ailee Bale by seven lengths in 33.99.
Hume Cup Heat 1 replay – Hector Fawley (33.99) – T: Lisa Cockerell
In his second start at the track and trip, Hector Fawley was the only heat winner to go under 34 seconds, with the track record of 33.91 clocked by Dyna Double in February 2016.
The win came in his 40th career start, with the Victorian-trained chaser at his ideal distance and showcasing his potential amongst Group company.
Hector Fawley ran third in the Group 3 Easter Gift at the Sandown 515m on April 6, and he was runner-up in the Listed Pink Diamond Champion Distance final at the Warragul 680m on June 16.
He will line up in the $75,000 to-the-winner Hume Cup final on November 11 as a strong favourite with top greyhound betting sites.
The other heat winners were Tasmanian star Raider's Guide (34.15), Aston Luciano (34.72), Responder (34.50) and Kai Bale (34.66).
The shock of the heats was Fast Minardi – who entered his heat as the all-in favourite in Hume Cup betting – failing to qualify after being checked twice and finishing fifth.
Last year's final of the middle-distance feature was won by the Michelle Mallia-trained Aston Velvet – the only female in the field.