John Corbett

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Sara

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I was very upset to hear this evening of the death of bloodstock agent JOHN CORBETT last weekend. I knew he'd been a bit under the weather this last year, but it seems he contracted bad bronchitis over Christmas [as so many of us did] and didn't recover, dying on Sunday while I was away in NL.

John was a truly lovely man: self-effacing, kind, immensely generous with his time and huge expertise to a wide circle of friends. The RP obit, which I will post in a separate message below, is good but only goes so far - John's career encompassed a lot more than that, including advising Sheik Maktoum early in his breeding operation, and helping Mike Osbourne to set up Kildangan Stud. At one stage he was bankrupted by some other Gulf Arabs with with whom he'd got involved in bloodstock ventures, which led to huge problems in his personal life; but he fought back and made his way again from the bottom, grafting and never complaining. He had no side at all.

No-one will miss his friendship more than Richard Hannon, to whom he was very close - in his last years John lived in the village close to the Hannon yard and they were pretty inseparable. He's not the only friend who will be sorely missing John's support and warmth. The family are steeped in racing; another of John's sons is chief executive at Wincanton.

RIP John, a great loss to the world of racing.
 
Horse Racing: Founder of Heron Bloodstock John Corbett dies at 69
BLOODSTOCK WORLD
Published: 15/01/2008 (Sport) Amy Bennett

RENOWNED bloodstock agent John Corbett died on Sunday after a short illness. Corbett, who had lived in Wiltshire for several years, was 69.
One of the founders of the influential Heron Bloodstock agency, Corbett could also boast of having been the man to foal Northern Dancer during a brief stint working at Windfields Farm.
His son Milo yesterday recalled how his father remembered the great sire as the one that got away, as Corbett tried to buy the 1964 Kentucky Derby winner as a yearling on behalf of George Gardener, only for Gardener to reject the colt on account of his small size.
Corbett set up Heron Bloodstock, in partnership with Stan Dunckley in London in the late 1960s. Captain Tim Bulwer-Long and George Harris joined the agency in 1970, and Harris opened a New York office in 1973.
Harris, who remained with the agency until 1977, said: "John was a wonderful person, as genuine as the day is long.
"He was a great person to work for and would go out of his way to help people if he could. He will be sadly missed."
Credited as being the first to provide competition to the then-dominant British Bloodstock Agency, Heron Bloodstock was also one of the earliest to succeed in encouraging Japanese buyers into the European and American markets.
Bulwer-Long said: "John's father, Ted, worked for the BBA and he had pioneered dealing with Japanese buyers following the war.
"When John set up Heron Bloodstock he particularly concentrated on the Japanese market after his father died."
Dunckley, formerly a shipping agent for the BBA, and Corbett were also pioneers of chartering flights and arranging shipping for their purchases, sending regular consignments to Singapore and Japan.
"There was nothing John liked more in the 1970s than organising a 707 British Caledonian flight of 30 horses to Singapore, and then helping to load them at Gatwick in the middle of the night in the teeth of a gale, often with me there to help!" Bulwer-Long said.
"We used to send two shipments a year of 30 horses to Singapore, where they were sold to the likes of Ivan Allen.
"John gave me my first job in racing in 1969 after I left the army, for which I am eternally grateful. He was a man of gold, with the kindest heart."
Heron Bloodstock's association with Japanese buyers led the agency to break several auction records during the 1970s. In 1973, Harris secured the 1972 Eclipse Award-winning mare Typecast at Keeneland for the then-world record auction price of 725,000 for Shigeo Yoshida.
The previous year the agency had set a record for the most expensive filly in training at the Tattersalls December sales when paying 106,000gns on behalf of Japanese clients to secure that year's Oaks winner Ginerva.
The agency also briefly held the record for the world's most expensive yearling, purchasing Hoist The King, a son of Hoist The Flag, for 1.6m at Keeneland's July sale in 1979 for a Japanese buyer. Another prominent acquisition for Japanese clients was the 1974 Ribblesdale Stakes winner Northern Princess, who was sent to Japan at the end of her racing career.
Heron Bloodstock was dissolved in the early 1980s, and Corbett moved to East Garston in the Lambourn valley, where he set up as an independent bloodstock agent. Many of the best horses he was involved in buying were trained by Richard Hannon, including the Nunthorpe Stakes winner Lyric Fantasy, bought for just 12,500gns at Doncaster's 1991 St Leger yearling sale, and the 2,000 Guineas winners Tirol and Don't Forget Me.
In later years, Corbett also served as racing manager to Malih Al Basti, for whom he purchased the 2005 May Hill Stakes winner Nasheej, and Racing Post Trophy runner-up Fantastic View.
Hannon said: "John was a very good friend of mine. He helped me out a lot over the years, and this is a very sad day."
A private funeral will be held, with a memorial service to be held in East Garston later in the year.
 
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