
Japanese race horse 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
3 hours ago
- UPI
'Fantastic Four' tops North American box office with $118M
Pedro Pascal's "The Fantastic Four: First Steps" is the No. 1 movie in North America this weekend. File Photo by Rune Hellestad/ UPI | License Photo July 27 (UPI) -- The Fantastic Four: First Steps is the No. 1 movie in North America, earning $118 million in receipts this weekend, announced Sunday. Coming in at No. 2 is Superman with $24.9 million, followed by Jurassic World: Rebirth at No. 3 with $13 million, F1: The Movie at No. 4 with $6.2 million and Smurfs at No. 5 with $5.4 million. Rounding out the top tier are I Know What You Did Last Summer at No. 6 with $2.8 million, How to Train Your Dragon at No. 7 with $2.8 million, Eddington at No. 8 with $1.7 million, Oh, Hi! at No. 9 with $1.1 million and The Home at No. 10 with $1 million.


UPI
5 hours ago
- UPI
Look: Nick Hogan pays tribute to late dad and 'best friend' Hulk Hogan
July 27 (UPI) -- Nick Hogan is paying tribute to his dad, the wrestler and media star Hulk Hogan, who died Thursday at the age of 71. "Thank you to everyone who has reached out to me and comforted me over the last few days. It truly means a lot. I'm sorry to everyone I have not responded to yet. This has been overwhelming and extremely difficult," Hogan wrote on Instagram Saturday. "Hearing so many kind words and stories about my dad's life, interactions and experiences with everyone has been incredible and comforting. My dad was the most incredible person I've ever known and will always be my hero. He was the most kind, loving and amazing father anybody could ask for. I feel so blessed to have had the greatest dad in the world. He was not only the best dad but also my mentor and my best friend." Addressing his father directly, he added: "Thank you for being my best friend. I love you so much Big Dog and I will miss you forever." The elder Hogan -- whose real name was Terry Bollea -- died at his Florida home at the age of 71. In addition to his career inside the WWE ring, Hogan starred in the reality shows Hogan Knows Best, American Gladiators and Hulk Hogan's Celebrity Championship Wrestling. His film credits include Rocky III, No Holds Barred, Suburban Commando, Mr. Nanny and Spy Hard.


Buzz Feed
5 hours ago
- Buzz Feed
Mario And Peach Are Just Friends
Since the '80s, our favorite mustachioed plumber, Mario, rescued our blonde-haired princess, Peach, from that problematic turtle monster, Bowser. But if you thought they were madly in love and destined to be together forever, think again. Newsflash: Mario and Princess Peach are apparently just friends! No, you didn't read that wrong. After decades of romantic rumors, Nintendo basically revealed the actual status of Mario and Peach's relationship. "Princess Peach and Mario are good friends," the Japanese video game company wrote in a statement this past week, "and help each other out whenever they can." The news was brought to everyone's attention by X user @KirPinkFury, who discovered this bombshell announcement via the Nintendo Today app and shared it to X on July 23. For decades, across multiple platforms and forms of media, Mario has rescued the kidnapped Princess Peach from Bowser, and sometimes he was even rewarded with a kiss. But this viral revelation changes everything we once knew about the Mushroom Kingdom's greatest hero. If this news rocked your world, here's how people online reacted: If you've played Super Mario Odyssey, then you'll remember when Peach rejected him after he traveled across the galaxy to rescue her. People couldn't get over the idea that he was seemingly "friendzoned" after all these years: Some folks were downright shocked and saddended by the news: And finally, somebody joked that maybe his archnemesis Bowser was in charge of the company: Funny enough, technically Doug Bowser is the current president and CEO of Nintendo of America, the American branch of the Japanese company. So, yes. Bowser is the CEO. It'll be okay, everyone. We need an update on Princess Daisy and Luigi's relationship status. We contacted Nintendo for comment and'll let you know if we hear back.