Haru Urara finally won her first race over a decade after she retired

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In a remarkable revival, the animated character Umamusume’s portrayal of the actual horse, Haru Urara, has sparked renewed popularity. With this second wind, her trainers decided to enter her in a race for retired horses. At the age of 23, fifteen years after her retirement, she triumphantly claimed victory in that race.

Expressing it in a simpler and more conversational manner: Everyone’s talking about Umamusume’s Western launch! It’s not just making a splash, it’s causing a storm. Twitch streamers can’t get enough of it, memes are popping up left and right on Twitter, and people are finding themselves pleasantly surprised by the game, even though they didn’t expect much at first.

As a gaming enthusiast, I can’t help but marvel at this game where each character is modeled after a real racehorse. The sheer popularity of this game has propelled the tales of these equine champions to heights never thought achievable before. In many aspects, it’s rekindled the passion for horse racing and presented it in a way that’s resonating deeply with today’s audience.

10 years after her final race, the thoroughbred horse named Haru Urara is trending worldwide due to the horse racing game-turned-anime, Umamusume, which transformed her into an anime character. Interestingly, although she never won a real race, players are putting in extra effort to achieve victories with her, despite the developers assigning her poor stats.

— TopMob (@TopMob) July 5, 2025

Haru Urara, once known as one of the most prominent racers who never managed to secure a victory, had this record reflected in the game. However, the fame of Umamusume sparked a change. The owners of Haru Urara decided to enter her into a race specifically designed for retired horses, and she finally claimed her first win.

Umamusume’s most beloved underdog finally won a real life race

As a dedicated fan, I’ve discovered that even though Haru Urara may not have the best reputation in real life due to her losing streak, gamers have found ingenious strategies to transform her into an unstoppable force on the racetrack. Despite her stats being less than ideal because the game deliberately places her in races she’s not suited for, we’ve figured out ways to turn that around and make it work!

Yet, unlike the fortunate mare, she didn’t enjoy the privilege of winning numerous races, instead becoming renowned for her frequent losses. Spectators admired her indomitable spirit, constantly battling even in the face of defeat.

However, due to the resurgence of interest in Umamusume and Urara’s tale, her trainer opted to enroll her in a race reserved for retired horses. On May 18, 2019, she clinched her initial victory in this competition. Initially, this race was scarcely known outside of some dedicated Japanese fan circles, but it gained recognition several years later due to the efforts of these enthusiasts.

Even though it was an obscure, playful competition many didn’t know about, her triumphant finish 15 years post-retirement beautifully encapsulates the essence of perseverance – a quality that gamers have resonated with through her character’s journey.

In addition, as early as 2019, the character Urara was gaining significant popularity due to the game Umamusume. Although the game didn’t reach the western market until later, it had been present in Japan since 2018. It even had a complete anime adaptation, where Urara was part of the supporting characters.

If supporters wish to express their congratulations to Urara with personal gifts following the announcement of her victory, they can now arrange this through the method established by her caretakers.

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2025-07-11 22:19