Starting Over

Starting Over

It was mid July. Blaze and Olivia had dropped a bombshell last week and now they were gone. Flipping gone. When Star Thoroughbreds needed them more than ever. It was hard to find good jockeys nowadays who would commit to just one stable, and not flit around between trainers. Unfortunately not many were willing to live in and earn a modest wage while riding some of the best racehorses in the business to win. Most were all about commission - they wanted a percentage of the race winnings that STBS just wasn't able to offer right now. They had too many horses, which meant a high feed bill and high vet bills. Not to mention that races were expensive to enter. And there was never any guarantee that a horse would win. Horse racing was a gamble even before punters placed there bets, and currently Star Thoroughbreds was losing.

Sarah had never seen James so angry, when Blaze and Olivia handed in their two weeks notice. Scratchings had to be made from races, and now horses been sold. The two were off to travel to world together. Hadn't spoken a word of it to anyone until they quit. James hadn't said goodbye to either of them. Neither had Marissa. Sarah was disappointed more than anything. She understood though, why they were going. A part of her wished she was going too. The heartbreak of having to sell a significant chunk of their stock had her in tears. But the horses had gone to good homes. And in all honesty, Star Thoroughbreds didn't need them for breeding anyway. Especially now that they had scaled back their breeding operations. No longer would they breed a foal just to sell it as a yearling. No, Star Thoroughbreds blood was more precious than that. And the public had had it's last chance to get some in their stables. The prices the horses had fetched at the sales was enough that the bank accounts looked reasonably healthy again. They had paid off their vet bills and hauled in enough hay to last a while, given the drought that currently gripped Green Horse Fields.

The racing string was now 24 strong, previously nearly forty. Their two year olds made up half, unfortunately. It meant that next year would be another tough year for the three year old division, but with new races coming to the GHF and the TW track, hopefully they would cope. For now, jockeys were desperately needed. Sarah had set up several job advertisements in the hope that they could pull in some good ones. Salary would be based upon performance. Which meant they were offering commission. Sarah sighed, holding her son tight to her. Dylan was now nearly two years old. Sarah wanted nothing more than to give him a little brother or sister, but until they managed to get a decent team of permanent riders, she couldn't retire. She watched as Stella and Chris worked with Fantasy Island and Impassioned Nut. The two juveniles looked great, and Fantasy Island was finally ready to race after injuring herself on her first day at Star Thoroughbreds two months ago now.

Sighing again, Sarah turned back to the house to get Dylan ready for daycare. Star Thoroughbreds was starting over, and they would be better for it. Of that much she would make sure.