Discovering the winner’s circle brought harness racing into focus for Rylee Rose
by Chris Lomon
It was, of all things, an unexpected walk to an unfamiliar place that changed everything for Rylee Rose.
In the moments soon after Marced In Faith, trained and driven by Brady Jenson, crossed the wire a 2½-length winner on June 19, 2022, at Running Aces, time seemed to stand still for the young groom as she processed what had just unfolded on the racetrack.
Then came an offer: “Come to the winner’s circle with us.”
“It was my first win as a groom with my all-time favorite horse, Marced In Faith,” said Rose of the daughter of Marced Card (MN). “I had no idea what that [winner’s circle] meant. When I walked over there, everything sunk in at that moment. It was so cool to see a horse I had worked with go on and win. Seeing that hard work succeed was amazing.”
And inspirational.
Rose, who had been around horses for almost her entire life, had no connection to standardbred racing aside from a long-term friendship with someone in the industry.
“It all started in 2022, the summer after my junior year of high school,” Rose said. “I had just attained my EMT [Emergency Medical Technician] license and my friend, Kendra — we rode horses together growing up and went to horse camps — told me that [driver/trainer] Brady Jenson and Steph O’Connell were looking for a groom. Kendra, who is married to [driver/trainer] Jacob Cutting, knew them and mentioned they were looking for summer help, so I thought, ‘Why not? I love horses.’
“I hadn’t graduated yet, so it would be a great job. I was working six days a week, including race nights, and working as a groom. We got to the summer and I was officially hooked. I had been around horses since I was 2, but I had never been introduced to harness racing. It is definitely different, but I fell in love with it.”
So much so, in fact, that when Rose was faced with a major decision, her newfound passion for racing made the choice somewhat easy.
At times, racing seemed to outpace the classroom.
“At the end of that summer, Brady and Steph came back out to Pennsylvania,” Rose said. “I was in high school and I remember being in my science class and watching races all day – wishing I was with the horses instead of school. In January, I decided I would take online college classes, so that I could continue working for them. So, that’s what I did. I graduated in 2023 and continued to work for them that summer.”
The native of Blaine, MN, has since carved out an interesting and rewarding path in racing, one that has taken her to racetracks across the Midwest and beyond.
Every racetrack has felt like home.
“I go with Brady and Steph in the spring and fall to train down in Humboldt, in Iowa, and race in the summer at Running Aces, here in Minnesota. In October, we came out to Pennsylvania, and I have been traveling with them in the spring, summer, winter, and fall since 2023.
“The best part of the job outside of the horses is the people I get to work with and what they have taught me. Every day is a different day, and I learn something new each time I am at the barn. I don’t think I could have ever started working for someone better than Brady and Steph. They have taught me so much about horses and life. It’s great to work with people who are so caring. The entire Jenson family has been wonderful to me.”
Not every part of the job is easy.
“The hardest part is when you have a horse who you are really close to and they either get claimed or sold,” Rose said. “It is never easy.”
Even during those moments, the fulfillment that comes from working with horses has never wavered for Rose.
Marced In Faith has left an indelible mark.
“At the time I first met her, she was in non-winners of two or three, and she is one of the smallest horses I have worked with,” Rose said. “I am small — I’m only 5 feet tall — so it was nice to have one I could relate to in that way. I’m not quite sure what it was about her. Apparently, she was very aggressive on the track. Brady would always take her out first in the morning and she would grab on more than any of the other horses in the barn. There was something about her – she had a calm spirit whenever I was around her. She is dark brown, almost black, and I just loved working with her.”
Rose wears her heart on her sleeve when it comes to Marced In Faith.
“I got to work with her for about three years before she was claimed,” Rose said. “She was the one who made me realize that horses are my passion. I actually have a tattoo of her.”
Another horse who played a pivotal role in Rose’s journey is Alexas Sunshine.
The daughter of Stay Hungry, now in another barn, marked a first in Rose’s racing career.
“That first winter in racing, I was still thinking that I would work with Brady and Steph, do my online school and then continue on with college,” Rose said. “But I was gifted a small percentage of Alexas Sunshine and once I owned one, I knew I would be in racing for as long as I could be.”
While her path may not be linear, Rose’s long-term connection to harness racing is, in racing parlance, odds-on.
“I have two years of my Equine Science degree completed and I am going to go back and finish that,” she said. “But I am not cutting all ties to harness racing. I will help Brady and Steph race. I probably won’t be able to travel out to Pennsylvania, but I will always own horses and I will definitely be helping out at Running Aces in the summer. Maybe once I graduate, I will fall back into it, but time will tell.”
One place she knows she’ll always cherish is a spot she once didn’t even know existed.
Whether as an owner or a groom, the winner’s circle will forever hold a special place for Rose.
“Ever since I started this job, I was pretty hooked on the horses, the racing, and the industry itself,” she said. “Seeing everyone smiling after a win – that is a wonderful moment.”
