On Sept 9, the famous Japanese racehorse Haru Urara has passed away at the age of 29.
Haru Urara passed away at Martha Farm in Chiba Prefecture. Her cause of death was colic, which is a term for the various types of abdominal pain that occurs in horses.
She was regarded as a legendary racehorse to many fans, but not due to her wins. Haru Urara’s fame comes from her racing record of 0 wins to 113 losses. After placing last in her debut race and never taking a single victory, she has been crowned the “star of losers” as many people in Japan encouraged her to never give up throughout her career.
While there are many fans of her horse counterpart, a majority of her fans come from the popular mobile game “Umamusume,” a rouglite gacha that translates the legacies of famous Japanese racehorses into anime horse girls you can train and race like horses.
Haru Urara is represented by a bright pink horse girl with a cheerful attitude that always tries her best, however her loss record is conveyed through her subpar stats as a trainee and her career story. Many fans connected to this sunny character after the release of the global version of the game, and it has garnered her many new fans as of recent.
After the death of Haru Urara was announced, many fans, both new and old, voiced their sadness towards her passing. Senior Sofia Lopez says “I was really upset when I heard that she passed. Some may say it’s stupid to get upset over a horse’s passing, but I had just learned about her story and what she was a symbol of. I just hope she’s at peace.”
Haru Urara’s fans have always been passionate about supporting her. A month prior to her death, many fans of the global release of “Umamusume” discovered a website named Namabokuso Bank that allowed for donations to send retired racehorses fresh ryegrass. One of the horses was Urara, and many people’s donations for her had come flooding in, crashing the website.
Not only is her legacy memorialized in the “Umamusume” mobile game, a documentary in 2016 named “The Shining Star of Losers Everywhere” details her life story, inspiring others to always keep trying no matter what.
