The international release of a Japanese mobile game is bringing the story of Haru Urara, one of the least successful racehorses of all time, to a worldwide audience. Haru Urara, who lost all 113 races in a career that ended in 2004, inspired one of the main characters in Uma Musume Pretty Derby, reports UPI. The game features Japanese racehorses who are reborn as anime-style human characters with horse tails and ears.
Haru Urara, who raced in a pink and red Hello Kitty face mask, started to become a sensation in Japan after she lost her 80th straight race, reports the Straits Times. She was seen as a symbol of persistence, with then-Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi calling her a
"good example of not giving up in the face of defeat" amid a recession in 2004. The Japanese words that mean "to lose a bet" can also mean "not to be struck," so while betting slips with the horse's name on them never won any money, they were used as charms against being hit by a car or laid off.
Uma Musume Pretty Derby, downloaded more than 22 million times after its release in Japan in 2021, has had more than a million downloads since its June 26 English-language release. In the game, the bio for the Haru Urara character states, "She's always smiling, no matter how many times she loses. She always tries her best and looks on the brighter side of things." The real racehorse, meanwhile, is 29 years old and living on a farm in the east of Tokyo. "Haru Urara is doing very well. In fact, she's healthier and more energetic than me," a fan club member who regularly visits her said last week, per the Straits Times.
,
uBlock 
,
and
Ghostery 
)
