On Friday, I went to a rave celebrating a series about fleet-footed anime girls based on real-life race horses. Today, the most-beloved of those IRL inspirations, a dismally untalented horse named Haru Urara, died at age 29, which is pretty old for a horse. An incredible number of people – far more than anyone ever would have expected even a scant few months ago – are in mourning.
The official Twitter account of Umamusume, the aforementioned anime horse girl sensation that continues to sweep multiple nations, broke the news to fans earlier today.
“It is with heavy hearts that we share that Haru Urara passed away on September 9,” wrote the account, which has become something of a horse death tracker in recent months. “The legendary racehorse's legacy serves as the inspiration for the character of the same name in Umamusume: Pretty Derby. We share our condolences to all the staff involved in Haru Urara's care.”
Across social media, fans have come together to celebrate the not-so-mighty mare’s life.
“Rest in peace, you will forever live in our hearts, our shining hope,” reads one comment on Reddit that’s received thousands of upvotes.
"I came to [university] to do something I loved and started hating cuz of uni and the competition, and AI is taking the role I am going with," reads another. "Haru Urara['s] story gave me a second wind, and I am going ballistic with my side projects and getting myself better. It's because Haru never gave up and enjoyed the run. Losing is never painful if you are enjoying your run. REST IN PEACE Haru Urara."
Many, many others have shared fan art of Haru Urara’s Umamusume character, including an image of her being reunited with other in-game characters whose IRL inspirations have passed.
Race horses are treated about as well as the dirt they run on, and this goes double for those who underperform. The story of Haru Urara’s career ranks among the saddest; before she retired in 2004, she lost every single one of her 113 races.
"Race horses are destroyed when they don't win," Haru Urara’s former trainer, Dai Muneishi, told The Scotsman in 2004 (via Gamesradar). "But to my way of thinking, a horse is also a living being, and it's inexcusable to destroy it at the mere whim of humans."
Muneishi also described Haru Urara as “physically small” and fearful of other horses. As a result, training her to race was an ordeal.
The tide began to turn for Haru Urara in 2003, at the tail end of her time on the tracks, when Japanese media took notice of her unlikely record, which then stood at a mere 80 consecutive losses. That sudden surge in popularity saved her life; in 2003 her then-owner told The Times that she’d been on a collision course with the knacker’s yard prior to that point.
At the peak of her fame in 2004, Haru Urara was dubbed “the shining star of losers everywhere” and lured 13,000 spectators out to the Kochi Racetrack in Kochi, Japan where, despite being ridden by Japan's top jockey, Yutaka Take, she lost her 106th race.
At the time, BBC wrote:
Japanese television ran footage of the race, focusing on the mare with her trademark pink "Hello Kitty" hood.
"All the fans seem to be going home happy," a reporter covering for Asahi TV said.
"They feel that it was OK for her to lose."
Correspondents say Haru Urara, the eternal loser who does not give up, has struck a chord with those Japanese who have lost most during the past decade of economic stagnation and job losses.
Her spectacular lack of success is also proving as profitable as it is inspirational. Kochi racecourse, nearly bankrupt, has seen its revenues shoot up.
Others are also cashing in with "Haru" tours, t-shirts, good luck charms said to contain a hair from her tail, books, and postage stamps. There is a pop song about her and a movie is in the works.
Haru Urara’s career concluded with a dispute between her trainer, owner, and others about whether she remained fit to race – along with speculation about involved parties attempting to squeeze another financial windfall out of her – after which she spent the next handful of years involved in her owner’s therapy and education efforts. There were also plans to breed her with other famous Japanese horses, but they never fully materialized. Eventually, in 2013, ownership of Haru Urara was transferred to Matha Farm in Japan’s Chiba prefecture, where she lived out the remainder of her days.
Umamusume’s take on Haru Urara, a pink-haired anime girl with a legion of in-game fans despite her penchant for losing, exposed the ancient race horse to a new audience. Her story resonated with younger people in the West as well. Earlier this year, they crashed a website that let them donate $40 ryegrass gifts to her. In the end, according to the website, fans donated a total grass amount of 3,410 kg, or 7,518 lbs. That is too much for one horse to eat, but I’m sure Haru Urara appreciated it on some level.
Haru Urara died of colic, a form of gas build up that is often deadly to horses, but was apparently healthy up to that point. I find it difficult not to feel a little weird about a situation in which an animal suffered to make money for a bunch of different people, only to be declared an inspiration for never giving up despite her apparent desire to be doing anything else – and then a lot of other people became parasocially attached to an anime girl, further obscuring, at least in some cases, the wants and needs of real animals trapped in a broken system. But it sounds like Haru Urara lived out her final years in peace, and that’s better than nothing.
"One of these beautiful tragedies," reads a comment on the Umamusume subreddit. "We didn't expect it so soon, but our gal made it to 29 years old. Lived the last of them in absolute luxury and love."
