Opportunity knocks: Curtin revisits past with eye to future

At 72 years young, international bloodstock agent, John Curtin is quietly entering a new chapter in a career that has seen him devote a lifetime to the harness racing industry.

Having been involved with standardbreds for nearly 55 years, Curtin is understandably looking at taking a step back from his endeavours to spend more time with his family and loved ones.

It’s ironic given the tireless work ethic that has led Curtin to brokering the largest standardbred bloodstock deals in the Southern Hemisphere, has also led him to believe it’s time to slow down.

“I’ve been at this caper a long time now and while it has given me a lot in my life, so have my family, friends and my faith,” said Curtin.

“I won’t be stepping away completely, but at 72, gone are the days where 18 hours working the phones and multiple North American visits every year are the norm,” he said.

ONE ON ONE | JOHN CURTIN

Curtin will continue to oversee his interests in the stallion market such as his syndicate manager role for dual hemisphere shuttle stallion, Lazarus N.

And ever the salesman, he will continue to quietly operate JC International Ltd, a business which has sold in excess of $100 million worth of bloodstock, in a reduced capacity.

Curtin readily admits that gone are the days where he would watch every single race and trial across Australasia and North America, but he is always on the lookout for the likes of a Shartin N ($2,667,563). A mare he purchased for a six figure sum who went on to become the fastest mare in history at 1:46.4 and the first horse bred outside of North America to win the USTA Dan Patch “Horse of the Year” award.

SHARTIN N REPLAY

“I don’t think I will ever truly retire, this business is like a disease once it’s in your blood and from a young age, all I have ever known is to knuckle down and work hard and that is tough to give up completely,” he said.

As a pioneer of the bloodstock industry Down Under with his early involvement in unlocking the stallion shuttle business, Curtin is also responsible for pioneering independent media coverage of international harness racing with his 22-year venture, Harnesslink.

Initially set up in 2002 as one of only four harness racing websites worldwide, Curtin has led the dynamic media platform from its humble origins in the early HTML days working out of his house in Drury, South Auckland, to becoming the leading player in harness racing media with 16 staff worldwide generating over 1.6m page visits a year.

“We nearly walked away from it a couple of times over the last couple of decades, but it’s such a powerful brand and the numbers have been such that if you were ever to stop, you would never get it back,” he said.

As part of his ‘semi-retirement’ Curtin is looking to pass the baton with his media platform and is eager to see someone with a similar passion for the industry take his pride and joy to new heights.

Having invested significant time and financial resources of his own to ensure the survival of the largest independent source of global harness racing news, Curtin believes the time has come for him to hand the reins over and will be investigating sales opportunities for suitable candidates.

“By the end of the year I would like to be in a position to have brokered a deal or arrangement for somebody to take Harnesslink over,” he said.

“I am very proud of what the website has achieved and the role it has played in the harness racing community. However, now is the time for new blood.

“Harnesslink is set up to thrive and prosper for another 22 years. We have a great platform and an incredible stable of staff and journalists, but as a business, it would greatly benefit from some new ideas, energy and investment.

“As I step back from the business those are things I no longer feel I can give on a daily basis, so the time is right to find someone who has the time and resources to take Harnesslink to the next level,” he said.

While Curtin would like to step away completely, true to his nature as a workaholic, if circumstances were to allow, he concedes an advisory role is something he would be prepared to undertake to ensure a smooth transition of the platform.

“Ideally somebody with a passion for the harness racing community will see this as an opportunity, in which case I would love to help them on the journey to realizing the potential of the platform.

“I’ve learnt a lot in the last 22 years having started from scratch. The foundations are well and truly set and I would love to see the platform continue to serve the industry for many years to come,” he said.

by Harnesslink Media