A short news story and photograph about a new arrival at a Co Carlow stud appeared back in 1971 in the Irish Farmers Journal. That seven-year-old thoroughbred stallion was Imperius. Who then could have predicted his impact on the Irish Sport Horse scene. Bought by Tom O’Neill out of Con Collins yard, the rangy brown stallion had won a total of six races, from seven to nine furlongs, during his racing career. His new role was in bloodstock parlance, as a “country stallion”, a role filled by many a blueblood stallion with varying degrees of success during their second career.