Right. So next the horse had to be positioned in the buyer's mind as unique in the market. You'll need one of the world's leading studs as an address. Tick. You'll need a service fee to match. (2001 & 2002: AUD$110,000; 2003: AUD$93,500; 2004: fee on application but reported on Stallions site as AUD$77,000). Tick. You'll want to appeal only to owners of the most elite broodmares to ensure the mares names/performances (and not just the stallion) will ensure media comment and also guarantee prize positioning in the most prestigious yearlings sales (roll up Imposera, Burst, Dane Ripper, Danelagh, Danglissa, Dantelah, Dashing Eagle, French Braids, Joie Denise, Let's Elope, La Volta, Lady Solvil, Stella Cadente, Tennessee Moon, Triscay - amongst others). Tick.

Next you'll need the 'best looking foals'. Enter Peter O'Brien, Coolmore's Australian farm manager. Peter's not the global head of the corporation so the 'everyday person' more readily connects with him as he waxes lyrical about this year's foals. If you believe Peter you'll believe every Coolmore stallion fathers the most 'muscular/well grown/scopey/beautifully put together foals that will win the Slipper/Oaks/Derby'. But do you know something? You can't help but forgive him because he tells you this in such a friendly and personable way!

Next you need the right buyers looking at the horses. So again, the PR machine is out there doing its work. And now the auction houses join in to promote the stud courtesy of the top class mares that were sent to the stallion. Open days are glamorous (and social) affairs. You'll want to be there as 'everyone' wants to be there.

Meanwhile the Master of Spin James Bester will send you a weekly newsletter extolling the merits of any win - maiden or otherwise. The ever present press feed continues (which is such an important part of PR - you've got to be constantly feeding the news) and the relationships that the stud has with key media (coupled with, in some circumstances, the link between a magazine and the stud's combined advertising spend) means that those stories are going to be front page news.

So, it's yearling sale time. The stallion has a median of $200,000 from 47 sold. Not bad. In terms of ROI, I could probably have done a lot better from sending a mare to Encosta de Lago (or indeed Mossman) but hey, let's not get too picky. From the promotion angle the stallion does win the award for being leading first season stallion at the Inglis Easter Sale (where his 26 yearlings averaged $242,692).

Now we need performance. The carefully crafted image may crumble completely if he doesn't perform.

Thank god for the US and all those well bred mares. Early (and much needed) runs on the board. Stakes winners Roman Ruler, Killenaule, and South Bay Cove lead the charge.

The language of the press releases becomes more emotive to ensure that the readers are as excited about this horse as the stud assumes they should be. We start to see words such as "exciting young sire", "will revolutionize the breeding game", "classy bunch of juveniles", "annihilated the opposition", "awesome", "the 'big horse'", "he is 'the one'".

But too many dirt results can make the turf observers anxious. Global results essential. The press release that followed was hardly surprising - "Kentucky Derby winner Fusaichi Pegasus has eight winners, a second and a third place getter from his first 10 starters in Europe" read that headline. Following it up some European black type: nothing to write home about in the overall scheme of the European scene, but when you're promoting something it's good nevertheless: KILLENAULE won the Delaware Park Dover Stakes (listed race), WITTEN also won the (listed) Bordeaux le Bouscat Grand Criterium de Bordeaux and Scandinavia ran second in the G2 Ascot Hackney Empire Royal Lodge Stakes.

Now, let's lay it on the line. This horse has been pitched as the second coming of Christ in terms of stallions. He has everything lined up behind him in terms of the mares he has served to the trainers who are training them and the ever present hum of Coolmore and media stories to ensure he is the first stallion people think of when they think of "2004 freshmen". Marketing students take note -from 'positioning' a stallion, Coolmore have done an utterly faultless job.