The rubber hits the road...
She had done her research. Ahmed was a businessman first and foremost, and while the Wolves had been his pride and joy for 25 years, the franchise was now just one piece of his vast financial empire. His real passion, she had discovered, was horses. Not just any horses—elite, purebred Arabian racehorses. His stables in Riyadh and Dubai were legendary, and he poured millions into the sport, chasing the dream of breeding the fastest horse the world had ever seen.
That’s where Gertie’s plan began.
The Bait
Using a few discreet intermediaries (including a "consultant" who had once arranged a camel race at halftime during a Wolves MiLB game in Charlottesville), Gertie got word to Ahmed that a mysterious benefactor was willing to make a substantial investment in his racing operations. Not just a token investment—something game-changing. Enough to fund the breeding of a generational champion. But there was a catch: The benefactor wanted a face-to-face meeting at an undisclosed location to discuss terms.
Ahmed was intrigued. He had built his fortune on calculated risks, and this was an offer too tempting to ignore.
The Meeting
Three weeks later, Gertie found herself in a high-end private suite at the Royal Mirage Hotel in Dubai, a place so extravagant it made her usual ballpark seat feel like a plastic milk crate. She sat across from Ahmed, sipping a glass of water as he examined a dossier prepared by her hired specialists.
“This,” Ahmed said, pointing to a page, “is not just money. This is vision.”
Gertie simply smiled.
The proposal outlined an eight-figure sponsorship deal through an anonymous trust, designed to elevate his horse racing empire to new heights. Naming rights for a new training facility, lucrative race purses, even securing breeding rights to some of the rarest stallions in the world. It was everything he had dreamed of.
“But what do you want in return?” Ahmed finally asked, his shrewd business instincts kicking in.
Gertie leaned back, feigning nonchalance. “I just want to see the Wolves in good hands.”
Ahmed laughed. “You’re telling me this is all because of baseball?”
“Madison baseball isn’t just a sport,” Gertie replied. “It’s a religion. A way of life. I just want to make sure it stays that way for another 25 years.”
He studied her carefully. “You’re a strange woman, Gertie.”
“That’s what they tell me,” she said with a grin.
The First Domino Falls
The meeting ended without a deal—at least, not officially. But Gertie could tell she had planted the seed. The wheels in Ahmed’s mind were turning. He was thinking about succession planning, about legacy, about a future where his focus could shift entirely to horse racing.
And that was all Gertie needed.
As she boarded her flight back to Madison, she sent a simple message to GM Simon:
"The horse is out of the stable."
