"They love it. The boys are pumped. I always tell them when there's a new race coming up," he said, recounting a bus trip in the nation's capital in December that turned into a team viewing party. "When we were in Ottawa for the outdoor game, on our way to practice I put up her race on my phone and everyone started watching. Snowstorms delayed the race, so we couldn't see it. It was kind of a buzzkill, but at least she ended up winning it in the end."
Likewise, de la Rose's family members enjoy cheering Trilly on every chance they get, despite being a little skeptical about the venture out of the gate.
"When I first told my family that I was buying a horse, they just laughed. But I've gotten them all into it," he said. "Now every time there's a race, my uncles, my grandma, my grandfather, they're all watching."
Despite his passion for his new project, de la Rose still hasn't had a chance to meet Trilly in the flesh - something he'll do immediately upon returning home in the offseason.