MICHEÁL Orlandi of Starfield Stud in Co Westmeath is always open to new ideas to promote the Compas Stallions stable.

A few years ago Micheál sent out Galileo Chrome chocolate bars as a publicity stunt and last week he gave away copies of Aesop’s Fables to celebrate the arrival of the sprinter of that name to his Multyfarnham stallion station.

The fables trace back to Ancient Greece and include The Boy Who Cried Wolf, The Goose Who Laid The Golden Eggs, and The Tortoise And The Hare.

However, Micheál’s idea to distribute copies of the book hit a bit of a snag. He explained: “Amazon must think I have a problem. Every time I tried to buy 20 copies they would limit me to five. So I had to start buying different versions of the book and it wasn’t easy because some of them are hardback and they would cost a fortune to post!”

The equine Aesop’s Fables, a Group 2 winner and multiple Group 1 placed, is going down extremely well with breeders. “He’s by far the best-looking individual we’ve ever had,” says Micheál. “Good walker, noble head, wonderful temperament. There is a wow factor when we pull him out – I don’t have to say anything.”

Starfield Stud was busy last week during the Stallion Trail but breeders are welcome to arrange a visit anytime.