AS must be the case with all good things, the Cockerell family’s fairy tale racetrack journey with homegrown superstar Hector Fawley has come to an end.

The decision has been made to retire the reigning Victorian Greyhound of the Year, with the in-demand Group 1-winning son of super sire Bernardo and Rolanda Hooch set to embark on a hugely-anticipated stud career.

“He tore chest muscles in his last run (second at The Meadows, December 21),” Lisa Cockerell explained.

“Take nothing away from the winner, but that was the reason he stopped like he did.

“We were planning to head up to Queensland for the (G1) Golden Sands but we weren’t happy with the way he was recovering and we’ve had so many breeders wanting straws – we’ve got 57 people after straws at the moment.

“He owes us nothing and it kind of felt like the right time.”

Hector Fawley won 26 of his 75 starts, banking $799,775 in prizemoney, his last victory coming in trademark barnstorming fashion in the G3 Silver Bullet (525m) at The Meadows on November 4.

Named after a Minister for Magic from the Harry Potter mythology, Hector Fawley was just that – magic – for Ian and Lisa Cockerell and family.

He took the Cockerells on the ride of their greyhound racing lives, handing his proud owner/breeder/trainers their first Group 1 triumph when romping away with the 2023 Hume Cup (600m).

“It feels like a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” Lisa said.

“The word I always used was surreal. It was just amazing.

“We obviously thought the world of him but he was so many peoples’ favourite dog. To have other people tell us he was their favourite dog and we’re thinking that’s our dog!

“It wasn’t just about his wins. He took us everywhere –- Perth, Adelaide, Sydney and Brisbane – and we made some really special friendships.”

While widely regarded as Australia’s best middle distance greyhound, Hector Fawley’s most lucrative victory came as a sprinter; a stunning last-to-first effort in The Sandgroper (520m) slot race at Cannington last April.

In a performance recognised as Greyhound Clubs Australia’s Run of the Year, he left an all-star cast, featuring recent Melbourne Cup victor Explicit, Big Energy, Morton et al., in his wake.

“The Hume Cup was our first big one and the Sandgroper – the way he won that – was something else!” Lisa glowed.

“I’d love to take him back over to Perth for the Sandgroper again.

“We’ll keep him fit and healthy and you never know,” she added, leaving the door ajar on a possible, if unlikely, racing return.

Underlining his ability to match it with the best sprinters in the land, Hector Fawley ran a close third to Schillaci in the 2023 Phoenix.

The four-time G1 finalist ran the hands off the clock at both Victorian city tracks, boasting 29.54 and 29.13 PBs at The Meadows and Sandown Park, respectively.

It comes as absolutely no surprise breeders are beating a path to Hector Fawley’s door.

As fierce a chaser as you would find, possessing electrifying speed, and a wonderful pedigree that features champion Irish sire Kinloch Brae as his maternal grandsire, with his fourth generation ‘Harry Potter’ dam-line producing Group performers at every turn.

While Hector Fawley’s retirement leaves a massive void in the Cockerells’ racing team, they are sticking to a winning formula in their quest for a replacement.

They have high hopes for two litters of nine by Hector Fawley’s sire Bernardo – out of Madam Rosmerta (Kayda Shae x Rolanda Hooch) and Cornish Pixie (Walk Hard x Arabella Figg).

“If we get something half as good as ‘Stanley’ we’d have to be happy!” Lisa quipped.

In Hector Fawley’s notable absence, there was a ‘Group worthy’ celebration at Geelong on Friday night when Ian and Lisa’s daughter Morgan handled her first winner.

Morgan’s memorable moment came courtesy of youngster Snitch Adams, a son of Fernando Bale and Patriot Earhart, which claimed his second win at start seven, leading all-the-way over 460m.

Paw note: For further information about Hector Fawley straws, breeders can contact Lisa Cockerell, with a stud fee to be announced in the near future. It was announced in early January he would stand at $2200.