Japanese racehorse famous for losing gains new fans from mobile game
Haru Urara, a 29-year-old mare who retired from racing in 2004, served as the inspiration for a character of the same name in the mobile game Uma Musume Pretty Derby, which launched globally June 26.
The real-life Haru Urara, famous for wearing a Hello Kitty mask and losing every one of her 113 races, became a national icon during her ill-fated career, with fans considering her to be an inspirational figure who never gives up.
The mobile game features anime-style, human-like characters with horse ears and tails engaging in track races.
The fictional Haru Urara character's bio 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."
A member of the official Haru Urara fan club who uses the handle @animal_love_kaz on X posted a photo of the real horse celebrating her birthday in February while wearing a tiara.
The photo went suddenly viral earlier this month, which the user attributed to the game's popularity.
The user, who frequently visits Haru Urara at Martha Farm, updated her bio to say: "I don't play Uma Musume."
New fans seeking to meet the real Haru Urara can schedule visits on the farm's website.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


UPI
2 hours ago
- UPI
Look: Paul Mescal, Josh O'Connor embrace in 'History of Sound' poster
1 of 5 | Paul Mescal (L) and Josh O'Connor star in "The History of Sound," in theaters Sept. 12. Poster courtesy of Mubi July 23 (UPI) -- Mubi released the poster for The History of Sound on Wednesday. The film opens Sept. 12 in theaters. Paul Mescal stars as Lionel, a Boston Conservatory graduate who receives a letter from his classmate David (Josh O'Connor). Lionel visits David in Maine to collect traditional folk songs. The poster shows Mescal and O'Connor's faces in closeup, eyes closed and noses touching, lips about to connect. The synopsis confirms The History of Sound is a love story between their characters. O'Connor also starred in last year's tennis romance Challengers, co-starring Zendaya and Mike Faist. Mescal starred in the 2023 drama All of Us Strangers, a love story with Andrew Scott. The History of Sound premiered at this year's Cannes Film Festival. Molly Price, Alison Bartlett and Chris Cooper also star. Oliver Hermanus directs Ben Shattuck's script.


UPI
2 hours ago
- UPI
Iowa man wins $100,000 from birthday gift lottery ticket
Christian Johnson won $100,000 from a scratch-off lottery ticket he received as a birthday gift from a friend. Photo courtesy of the Iowa Lottery July 23 (UPI) -- An Iowa man received a scratch-off lottery ticket as a gift from a friend and scored a $100,000 birthday surprise. Des Moines man Christian Johnson told Iowa Lottery officials he was celebrating his 42nd birthday with friends when they presented him with a card containing a few scratch-off tickets. Johnson said he handed one of the tickets to his girlfriend to finish scratching and she called his attention to it. "She just was like, 'You need to look at this! You need to look at this!' " Johnson said. "I didn't think it was real at first. I'm like, there's no way! It's got to be a joke." The ticket, a $100,000 Mega Crossword game, had been purchased by his friend, Diana Ballentine, at Best Food Mart on East 14th Street in Des Moines. "I don't think it's hit me completely," Johnson said. "I am floored. I couldn't sleep at all last night waiting to come down here." He said he hasn't decided what to do with his money yet, but it will give him some peace of mind. "It definitely came at a perfect time," he said. "It's a blessing for sure."


UPI
2 hours ago
- UPI
Watch: 'Masters of the Universe' live-action film gets title reveal
Nicholas Galitzine stars as He-Man in the upcoming "Masters of the Universe" live-action film. File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo July 23 (UPI) -- Amazon MGM Studios released a title reveal video for the upcoming live-action Masters of the Universe film, showing how the logo will appear in multiple languages. The video, posted to YouTube on Wednesday, features the stylized Masters of the Universe logo in English, Spanish, Japanese and multiple other languages. The brief video is accompanied by a dramatic orchestral score. Nicholas Galitzine (Red, White & Royal Blue), who plays He-Man in the film, announced on Instagram in June that filming had wrapped for Masters of the Universe. "It has been an honor shouldering the responsibility of playing Adam and He-Man," Galitzine wrote. The film, directed by Travis Knight (Kubo and the Two Strings, Bumblebee), is scheduled to release in theaters on June 5, 2026.