Despite not winning a race during her professional career, Haru Urara was beloved for being "the shining star of losers everywhere."

Haru Urara, the beloved Japanese racehorse that inspired the Umamusume: Pretty Derby character of the same name, has died. She was 29-years-old.

Haru Urara's death was first reported by Yahoo! Japan, which revealed that she passed in the early hours of Tuesday (9 September) surrounded by staff of Martha Farm, which is the stable in Onjuku, Chiba where she lived since 2013. Her cause of death was revealed to be Horse Colic, a condition that occurs when gas builds up in the intestines due to poor digestion of food and slows down intestinal movement.

The official Umamusume: Pretty Derby social media accounts also released a statement where developer Cygames' shared their condolences over Haru Urara's passing.

Haru Urara's life and career

Haru Urara was born on 27 February, 1996 in Hokkaido and was sired by Nippo Teio, a top-class racehorse. Her name means "Glorious Spring" or "Gentle Spring" in Japanese.

Despite her strong lineage, Haru Urara never managed to win a single race during her professional career. She debuted on 17 November, 1998 at the Kōchi Racetrack amd placed last among fifth racers. She would continue competing in races once or twice every month without winning over the course of the next four years.

After losing 80 consecutive races, Haru Urara's story was picked up by Japanese media in June 2003. She became a household name in Japan as a result and was branded as “the shining star of losers everywhere” for continuing to race despite her infamous losing streak. 

Haru Urara's betting tickets were even used as o-mamori, amulets said to provide luck and protection, particularly for protection against traffic accidents. The Kōchi Prefecture Horse Racing Association also started various campaigns and produced merchandise based on Haru Urara, bringing crowds of adoring fans to an otherwise unremarkable racetrack.

Haru Urara ran her last race in August 2004, retiring with a record of zero wins and 113 losses. However, Haru Urara did finally win a race after she retired, setting the best time in a time trial race for older horses in May 2019. 

When Umamusume: Pretty Derby was first launched in Japan in February 2021, Haru Urara was among the list of characters available at launch alongside the likes of Special Week, Silence Suzuka, Tokai Teio, Mejiro McQueen, Gold Ship, and Grass Wonder, among many others. While the game was already very successful in Japan, it gained a massive surge in popularity when it released globally on 26 June this year.

Haru Urara's story notably resonated strongly with players on Umamusume's global version, with many donating funds to be used to feed her fresh ryegrass through the ‘Fresh Hay Bank’, a crowdfunding website that allowed fans to gift fresh ryegrass to retired and distinguished horses. The flood of donations in July even caused the website to crash, as over 2,500 kilograms of ryegrass were donated to Haru Urara.

Other racehorses that inspired characters from Umamusume: Pretty Derby who also received donations from Fresh Hay Bank include Meisho Doto, Hishi Miracle, Nice Nature, Fine Motion, and Tanino Gimlet, among others.

Driven by the popularity of Umamusume: Pretty Derby's global launch, the still-living Japanese racehorses that inspired characters from the game enjoyed renewed support and donations through Fresh Hay Bank and other related support systems for retired horses.

Haru Urara is the second Japanese racehorse used as a basis for an Umamusume character to pass away this year after Grass Wonder, who died in early August at 30 years of age.

If you're interested in finding out more about the real-life racehorses that inspired your favourite Umamusume: Pretty Derby characters, you can check out GosuGamers' series covering the histories of the racehorses that inspired Umamusume: Pretty Derby's characters.