Chapter 319 – Friday Night Supper
When they got to the ranch, Jack encouraged Elizabeth to go to her room for a bit and splash some water on her face. The guys went and hung up their suit coats and changed out of their polos and dress pants into lounge pants and henleys. The lounge pants were nothing more than stylish sweatpants, maybe lighter than traditional sweatpants. Trish and Elizabeth also changed before going to help finish up supper.
Gran and Father Mark had made a beef and pasta bake for supper as well as a chicken and pasta bake. They also had roasted a couple of chicken breasts for James, Maddie and Missy. They needed to make the fresh garlic bread and the buttered noodles for the girls. There was also a tossed salad and the additional fresh veggies on the platter. Gran had made a fresh peach cobbler for dessert. Gran knew that James was going to be about a half hour behind the kids, so once she had word that he was on his way, she had them finish getting everything ready so they could sit down shortly after James got home. The table was set and they were just finishing up when James walked in the door. He greeted everyone and went to wash up, but by the time he was back with a Manhattan, they were ready to sit down. Nathan and Frank had also each made a drink of bourbon from Smuggler's Notch Distillery in Jeffersonville, Vermont. Trish poured Cabernet Sauvignon from Prospect Falls Winery in Prospect, New York for her and Gran. Jack and Doug all took a couple fingers each.
It was a nice and enjoyable supper. They talked about the races and how well the horses did. They also talked about the plans for the following day. It was a nice meal with no mention of the press incident that happened. They toasted the win that Coal Creek had gotten that day. Jack was exceptionally happy about the win. He was going to be able to run Midnight one more time at Aqueduct before the Breeders Cup. The two year old was setting up nicely to make a run for the roses at Churchill Downs the following spring. It could be Jack's first Kentucky Derby horse. He knew that there was still work to do, but he trusted Manny and the Cuban jockey, Jorge Hernandez, that Manny had brought in to ride some of the younger horses. Jorge was an experienced jockey and had ridden Midnight that day. Jack's thoughts were interrupted by his grandfather.
"JP." James said. "I asked what you thought about that new jockey Manny hired."
"I really like him." Jack said. "Enough that I asked Grandpa John to put him on a Thornton Thoroughbred retainer. If we are running a Thornton Thoroughbred, he would have the right of first refusal when it came to riding. I want him to be our exclusive jockey, but we would need more horses in New York. We are about two years away from having an exclusive jockey."
"You haven't done that in a while." James said. "Normally you draw from a pool and it depends on who is running."
"I know." Jack said. "But Jorge is young and has a good head on his shoulders. So the sooner we can get him on more Thornton Thoroughbreds, the better."
"What about the other jockeys?" Elizabeth asked.
"If we have more than one horse running in a race." Jack said. "We will offer the ride to one of the other jockeys that we have been working with. We have a good relationship with five different jockeys. I would like enough horses that we are running one or two in each race in Saratoga and Aqueduct for the entire season. Like I said, we are about two years away from that. We could bring more up from Florida, but I like running some down at Ocala, Tampa and Gulfstream year round. The same with Santa Ana and Del Mar in California. The simple answer is that we need to have more horses. Honestly, we are considered a small barn and in the next five years, I want to move into the large barn category for racing."
"Slow down." James said. "We have been trying, but it takes time to raise quality horses and get the quality and diverse bloodlines. We also need to hire more trainers if we are going to get more horses. You can run a horse every three weeks, barring injury. So to enter a horse in every race for a season is a lot. Ten to eleven races a day, for eight weeks. That is a lot of horses. Even if you run each horse twice and only one in a race, that is over a hundred and fifty horses. And that is just here."
"I know." Jack said. "But I can dream can't I. I would love for us to have two to three hundred thoroughbreds here in New York, where we can run some at Aqueduct year round and some could go south or west for the winter. Right now, Thornton Thoroughbreds has one hundred forty-seven horses race ready for Florida, California, and New York total."
"Talk to your Grandfather." James said. "I understand you want to grow, but it takes time. We will need more land and more people. The biggest thing will be moving the breeding center over to the land at your Uncle Chris's place. That would allow us to expand our breeding and still have plenty of grazing room here."
"I know." Jack said. "I have also thought about moving the retirement center across the road into its own property and use those stables for thoroughbreds."
"Good goals." Gran said. "You can talk more about it later. We are almost done with supper and we have a busy weekend. We also have an early start. We need to be on the road to Albany no later than seven fifteen."
"Marco and Andy are leaving with the horses by five." Jack said.
"Then I expect everything to be ready tonight." James said.
"Yes, Sir." Jack said.
"Yes, Sir." Doug and Nathan echoed.
After supper, Jack went to the library to make some calls and deal with some things that he needed to do since he had been at the races and not on his laptop like he did most afternoons. Everyone else went about their evening. After about half an hour, Elizabeth went to the library to check on Jack.
"Are you okay?" Elizabeth asked.
Jack looked up and shook his head.
"What did you say?" He asked.
"I asked if you were alright." Elizabeth said.
"Yeah." Jack said. "Just got lost reading these reports on the horses in California and Florida, then I started looking at the open broodmares and potential studs to breed them for next year. Which led to me looking more into the horses already listed for the sale in November."
"Oh." Elizabeth said. "I can leave you alone."
"No." Jack said. "I can do this anytime. I can also get lost in it for hours. I am thinking that we need at least four or five studs to keep our bloodlines diversified enough and also to not have to worry about breeding after a few years. I think if we did it right, we could have a handful of studs here that were mainly for us and we could sell the others. And then also buy additional straws for a handful of mares."
Elizabeth went over and took a seat next to Jack as he was talking.
"Do you have enough broodmares?" Elizabeth asked.
"Yes and no." Jack said. "We have enough for now, but we need more. But to do that we need to have more room. We need to build and move the breeding over to Uncle Chris's place, but that won't be converted until at least next spring and we are still working at acquiring some of the additional land that is needed."
"Oh." Elizabeth said. "So why are you looking at potential stud horses?"
"Because." Jack said. "We have retired two of our studs and now we have a third that we don't know if we can breed. If I can find a good stud at a decent price, it would pay to get him."
"Okay." Elizabeth said. "That makes sense."
Elizabeth sat there for a moment.
"I have a question." Elizabeth said.
"Okay." Jack said.
"You have talked about changing the way that you do things." Elizabeth said. "But it sounds like you are getting horses that were not raised the way that you want things to go, so why make all the changes?"
"The changes will be better in the long run." Jack said. "Even horses that we get, like the group that arrived this past Sunday. They will be switched to the way that we do things and they will be healthier horses because of it. The thing is to grow our own broodmares and studs take three to five years. I am trying to fill the gap between them. We need more horses. Yes, we had just shy of forty foals this spring, early summer. And we have forty-five confirmed pregnant for next year, but not a single foal born this year will be on the track for a real race until after January first twenty twenty. They can't race until they are two. I don't like to breed the fillies until they are at least four or five. So again, trying to fill the gap."
"That makes sense." Elizabeth said. "I guess there is a lot more to the horses then I realized."
"The horses alone are a full time job." Jack said. "That is not even managing the staff or all the other things. As much as I want to care for some of the horses myself, there are people that can do that. There are not many people I trust to pick horses to bet our future on. Grandpa John is counting on me to do what I do and pick the horses. Will I look at horses that Frank, Nathan, Doug or even Lee suggest? Yes, but the decision to buy has to be either Grandpa John or myself. And he really has to love a horse or its pedigree to buy them like he just did. The three weanlings plus the one that the broodmare is carrying, were the first time he didn't ask my thoughts on a horse in over two years. He bought them because of their pedigree and they have proven bloodlines."
"Okay." Elizabeth said. "I was just wondering what you were doing. So can I sit here with you for a bit as you look at horses?"
"Sure." Jack said.
"So what are you looking for?" Elizabeth said.
Jack explained a bit what he was looking for and pulled up the website again. He showed Elizabeth a horse that he was hoping to buy in November. As they scrolled through the page, Elizabeth pointed to a few, mainly because they were pretty colors or had cool marking, but at least Jack would look at them. He also made notes about two of the five that Elizabeth had pointed out. He thought that those two were at least worth taking a look at live.
"You really want to go to the sale." Elizabeth said.
"Yes." Jack said. "I just don't know if I can take the time off from school. Grandpa John agrees that if I make a list, he can look at them."
"But it is not the same." Elizabeth said.
"Exactly." Jack said. "Pictures can be a bit deceptive and shot in a way to put the best foot forward, so to speak. Seeing a horse in person and running your hands over him, it is completely different."
"And this sale is important for the immediate future of the ranch for the next few years." Elizabeth said.
"Yes." Jack said. "Not only do I need to find at least a couple of studs, I am also looking for a handful of broodmares."
"Then talk to your professors." Elizabeth said. "It might be a pain, but if it is that important, you should be at the sale. I can always go back and Devin's guys will keep me safe on campus. Would I miss you for a few days? Yes, but we will survive."
"I will think about it." Jack said. "We are at least going down for the Breeders Cup races. Maybe I can see some of the horses before the sale and give Grandpa a heads up."
"Don't rule out staying." Elizabeth said.
"I won't." Jack said. "I also feel bad about asking. I am going to be a first year student, then asking for special treatment. It feels wrong."
"And most students haven't taken on two or three companies before they even start college." Elizabeth said. "So I think your professors need to realize that while you need to do school, you also need to take care of things to ensure the future of your companies. I think if you and John sit down with the professors and explain what you absolutely have to do and that you are willing to do the work, but need to be excused from class at times. It might work. I know that college is different from high school, but there are professors who do take attendance. It will just depend. Yes, getting a degree is important, but ensuring the proper future of the companies is a lot more important. At least I think so. I also think the professors will understand, because you will be able to bring more real world experience than most of your classmates."
"I guess I never thought about it like that." Jack said.
"Different viewpoints." Elizabeth said. "I see how much you are already doing. Unless they know, they will just see you for what you are missing."
Jack nodded his head.
"I know that you are smart enough to do the work." Elizabeth said. "It is just showing your professors and frankly the other students that you know what you are doing. Not only that, you are already doing things to secure your future. I am talking more than the trust fund. You have been earning adult money for a long time. You will have the advantage of having real world work experience when most of your classmates won't. You have a guaranteed job at a coveted company. You are going to school and getting a degree because it is the smart thing to do, not because you need it per se. But having it will give your words more …."
"Credence." Father Mark said from the doorway.
"Yes, that was the word I was looking for." Elizabeth said.
"Thank you." Jack said, giving Elizabeth a quick kiss.
Father Mark came and sat down.
"Remember that horse trainer that you told me about." Father Mark asked.
"The one married to the vet?" Jack asked.
"Yes, that one." Father Mark said.
Elizabeth looked between the two men, confused.
"I met this horse trainer." Jack said. "She is quite knowledgeable about horses. Things she learned from working with horses from a young age and wisdom her mother gleaned from years of working with horses. She took over her mother's business without getting a degree. She is a natural with horses and had been working with her mother before she passed. This trainer married a vet, yet it is his word that people listen to more than hers. He has been around horses for a fraction of the time, but because he has a bunch of letters after his name and a degree hanging on his wall, people think that he is the more knowledgeable one."
"It is like Katie." Father Mark said. "There is no way that she needed a botany degree to know about plants and herbs. Did having the degree make her more legitimate? Yes and that is sad, because the knowledge that she has can't be taught from a book. It can only be gained by experience."
"When you put it that way." Jack said. "It makes a lot more sense."
"Good." Elizabeth said. "Then remember that. While you need the book knowledge, you are getting an education that is far more valuable and you have been earning it for years."
Jack kissed the tip of Elizabeth's nose and grinned at her.
"When did you get so smart?" Jack teased.
"I have my moments." Elizabeth teased back.
"So was there something that you wanted?" Jack asked, looking at Father Mark.
"Just checking on you." Father Mark said. "Grandpa told me what happened at the track as you were leaving. Also we are a week away from the wedding. Thought I would check in."
"It has been an up and down week." Jack said. "I suspect that it will be much the same next week. I am trying to take the advice I have been given and only focus on one day at a time. Also to not worry about things that are not in my control."
"And how is that going?" Father Mark asked with a smirk.
"I am trying." Jack said.
"Well at least you are trying." Father Mark said. "Elizabeth, how are you doing?"
"I am okay." Elizabeth said. "I was scared when the man jumped out of the bushes at me, but mostly I am getting excited. I am excited about the wedding, the trip to Minnesota, and starting school. Lots of changes are still happening this month, so I guess I am just managing my excitement."
"Then I will leave you be." Father Mark said.
"I should head to bed as we have a long day tomorrow." Jack said.
"Okay." Elizabeth said. "It is almost nine."
The trio ended up headed downstairs, where they prayed with the rest of the group before tuning in for the night.
Pasta Bake
Ingredients
8 oz short pasta like rigatoni or elbow (about half of a box)
1 cups pasta sauce
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 cup water
1 tablespoon Italian Seasoning
1 teaspoon garlic salt
Pepper to taste
1/2 lb cooked meat- Chicken sausage, or beef
1 cup mozzarella cheese shredded
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese shredded
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Mist the bottom of a 9 inch baking dish with cooking spray. Add the dry pasta, pasta sauce, cream, and water to the dish. Season with Italian seasoning, garlic salt, and pepper. Mix to combine, making sure to coat the pasta well. Cover the dish with foil, sealing the edges tightly. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and carefully remove the foil. Stir in your meat and 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese until combined. Top with the remaining 1/2 cup mozzarella and 1/4 cup parmesan. Bake an additional 15 minutes, or until heated through and bubbly. Serve warm with a side salad or bread.