Blc. Pink Empress Ju Shen - Growth and blooming pattern

[chicken_wing]

Hello everybody!
I've just purchased my first big cattleya, the hybrid Blc. Pink Empress. I couldn't help but having this beauty with me.

When I received the orchid (which by the way is a very large plant... with 3 directions of growth) I immediately noticed a green sheath, flat and with no buds inside...
Currently, the orchid is pushing hard a new growth which is still pretty tiny but it's growing visibly bigger and bigger every day. Also, the roots are active and they're branching from older roots.

At this point, I don't know if I should expect to see buds forming in that green sheath or if the orchid has already decided to move forward to new growths.
Could that be a blind sheath? (how lucky! )

I don't know much about cattleyas and I'd love to read about your experience with this hybrid.
When it blooms for you, if it can develop buds and new growths at the same time, if it blooms multiple times per year, if the green sheath gets back to life in fall/winter....

Any information you'd like to share, I'll love to read!
Thank you!
Ala