The hit video game/anime’s Haru Urara is a real horse, and fans have found a way to show their love for their heroine who never gave up.

For a video game in which every character is trying to run as fast as they can, Uma Musume Pretty Derby sure took its sweet time coming to English-language players. Despite debuting in Japan in 2021, the game’s English version wasn’t released until just a few weeks ago, on June 26.

Uma Musume Pretty Derby’s slow trot to the English world is sort of understandable. After all, it’s a game about anthropomorphized real-life Japanese racehorse schoolgirl idol athletes, a series of niches that pushes it pretty far into a corner in terms of entertainment interests. However, it’s looking like publisher Cygames underestimated the game’s potential, as it’s become such a massive hit with English-language gamers that they’re now going so far as to offer support to one of the actual horses that inspired one of the game’s characters, Haru Urara.

▼ With Haru Urara’s name meaning “gentle spring,” naturally her Uma Musume version has cherry blossom-colored hair.

So who’s Haru Urara? One of the least successful racehorses in Japanese racing history. Despite coming from impressive stock (her sire/father was a winner of multiple prestigious Grade 1 races), Haru Urara finished in last place in her maiden race, and that would more or less set the tone for her career. Over the next six years, Hara Urara ran in 113 races, and won none of them. She usually wasn’t even close to winning, with a grand total of just 12 finishes in second or third place, meaning 101 times she ended up even further back. Even legendary Yutaka Take tried to guide her to a win, but he could do no better than a 10th-place finish (out of 11 horses in the field) in his mount.

And yet, Japan fell in love with Haru Urara, cheering passionately for the underdog who never gave up. So when Uma Musume’s designers chose to add a Hara Urara character to the game’s roster, they gave her that same plucky, positive attitude. Even if she doesn’t have the best stats, she’s become a fan favorite among those who’ve learned about her backstory through the game, including the newly arrived English-territory Uma Musume fanbase, and want to help her win an in-game race.

Unfortunately, Haru Urara the horse has been officially retired since 2006, so it’s too late for her new overseas fans to help her find her way to the winner’s circle. There is, though, a way for them to make her retirement more comfortable, as a number of them have discovered Namabokuso Bank, a Japanese website for sending donations of fresh-cut grass (namabokuso) to retired racehorses for them to munch on.

“What’s going on?” wondered Namabukuso Bank’s official Twitter account in a recent post. “Donations from overseas for Haru Urara have been blowing up.” Sure enough, looking at the donation page for Haru Urara, which allows donors to post a short message, there’s been a steady stream of English ones since Uma Musume Pretty Derby’s English release, including:

“Overseas fan, stay healthy! :)”
“Run on my shining star!!”
“She is the best horse.”
“For my GOAT who never gave up.”
“For never giving up! Hope you enjoy the grass!!”
“Please enjoy the treat Haru-chan and stay happy and healthy!”
“Haru Urara inspired me to never give up!”

“Love from Oregon.”
“All the way from Australia! For never giving up!”
“Hello from Indonesia.”
“You are an inspiration to me and I’m sure a lot of others too! Stay healthy and have a lot of fun! From, Malaysia.”
“Please give Haru Urara lots of love. From Thailand with love.”
“Love from UK.”
“From France! Enjoy.”
“She is an inspiration for a lot of people…Many greetings from Germany!”
“Aloha! Much love from Hawaii!”
“Enjoy your retirement! Those of us around the globe are always rooting for you.”
“She may not have won an official race, but she won the race for our hearts.”

As the variety of nationalities show, the English release of the Uma Musume game, which had previously only been available in Japanese, Chinese, and Korean, is helping spread its popularity, and love for Haru Urara, to countries with English-as-a-second-language proficiency too.

It should be noted that Haru Urara hasn’t been wandering the streets hungry, as following her racing days she’s been a resident of Matha Farm in Chiba Prefecture.

▼ Haru Urara at her current home

Still, as a retired racehorse with negligible track earnings, some extra financial security, and a little extra luxury in her feed, are no doubt making her retirement more comfortable, and those looking to contribute can do so though the Namabokuso Bank website here.

Source: Namabokuso Bank via Otakomu
Screenshot images ©Cygames, Inc.
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