[2] Imagine was bred by a partnership between Barronstown Stud, who owned Doff the Derby, and Orpendale,[3] a breeding company associated with the Coolmore organisation.

Imagine initially bypassed maiden races, making her first appearance in the Listed Debutante Stakes at the Curragh in August 2000 and finishing third behind the more experienced fillies Affianced and Sequoyah.

Eleven days later Imagine was dropped in class for maiden race at Gowran Park and recorded her first win, ridden for the first time by Mick Kinane.

[8] Imagine's win, which came one day after O'Brien had trained the first three horses in the Irish 2000 Guineas,[9] enabled Sadler's Wells to equal the record of 45 individual Group One/Grade I set by Sir Tristram.

O'Brien had not been able to run his horses in Britain earlier in the season because of restrictions on the movement of livestock imposed as a result of the 2001 United Kingdom foot-and-mouth outbreak.

[11] Ridden by Kinane, Imagine was restrained at the back of the field in the early stages and seemed to be struggling just after halfway as she seemed unable to handle the downhill section of the course.

[12] She turned into the straight in eighth place but then made steady progress down the centre of the course to challenge the leader Relish the Thought inside the last quarter mile.

Imagine overtook Relish the Thought 150 yards from the finish and won by one and a quarter lengths with the fast-finishing second favourite Flight of Fancy (owned by the Queen) taking second place in the last strides.

[17] She went on to produce the Group Two winners Viscount Nelson and Kitty Matcham as well as Red Rock Canyon, who won only one minor race but acted as pacemaker for the Ballydoyle champions Dylan Thomas and Duke of Marmalade.