is a Japanese

racehorse Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic pr ...

. The horse gained nationwide popularity in 2003, not due to her success, but rather, due to a long string of consecutive losses.

Background

Haru Urara, a bay

mare A mare is an adult female horse or other equine. In most cases, a mare is a female horse over the age of three, and a filly is a female horse three and younger. In Thoroughbred horse racing, a mare is defined as a female horse more than four ...

, was foaled on February 27, 1996, on Nobuta Bokujo, Utafue,

Mitsuishi, Hokkaido was a List of towns in Japan, town located in Mitsuishi District, Hokkaido, Mitsuishi District, Hidaka Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. As of 2004, the town had an estimated population of 4,950 and a population density, density of 14.30 persons p ...

. She was sired by Nippo Teio, a top-class racehorse whose wins included the

Tenno Sho The is a horse race held twice a year in Japan, once in the spring and once in the autumn. "Tenno" means "Emperor of Japan". The races are both International Grade I races. Prior to the 2007 races, both Tenno Sho races were Japanese domestic Gr ...

and the

Yasuda Kinen The Yasuda Kinen (English: Yasuda Memorial, Japanese and Chinese language: 安田記念) is a Japanese International Grade I Thoroughbred horse race held at the Tokyo Racecourse in Tokyo. Raced annually each June, the Yasuda Kinen is run at a dis ...

. Unable to find a buyer for their filly, the farm began training Haru Urara as a racehorse, under their own ownership.

Racing career

At her debut, on November 17, 1998 at the Kōchi Racetrack, Haru Urara lost, placing fifth—and last. Over the next four-and-a-half years, she would compete once or twice every month, but was unable to obtain a single victory. In June 2003, after garnering her 80th consecutive loss, the story was picked up by the national Japanese media, making "Haru Urara" a household name. She quickly became very popular in Japan, and was called , for continuing to run with all her heart, despite her seemingly endless losing streak. This surge in popularity was dubbed "The Haru Urara Boom", and news about Haru Urara even reached the international community, being reported in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

and elsewhere. During the boom, Haru Urara betting tickets began to be used as o-mamori, particularly for protection against traffic accidents: the word in

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

can mean both "to lose a bet" and "to avoid being struck", so it was said that a Haru Urara betting ticket—a guaranteed loss—could protect the owner's car from being hit. In September 2003, the Kōchi Prefecture Horse Racing Association introduced a service wherein they would stamp the word on any betting ticket related to Haru Urara. O-mamori were also created from mane and tail hairs that were said to have fallen out during brushing, but production was soon halted, due to concerns expressed by

animal welfare Animal welfare is the well-being of non-human animals. Formal standards of animal welfare vary between contexts, but are debated mostly by animal welfare groups, legislators, and academics. Animal welfare science uses measures such as longevity ...

groups. At a race held on March 22, 2004, during the peak of her popularity, more than 13,000 spectators packed the Kochi Racetrack, 3,000 of whom had gathered outside before the gates opened, forcing the track to open 30 minutes earlier than scheduled. Some people waited in line for up to five hours to buy tickets at the "Haru Urara Commemorative Ticket Booth", which was established especially for the event. Fans bet a grand total of ¥121,751,200 on a Haru Urara victory, an impressive sum, particularly for a horse that had not won once in more than 100 attempts. The race ended in disappointment, but not surprise: despite being ridden by Japan's premier

jockey A jockey is someone who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing. The word "jockey" originated from England and was used to describe the individual ...

Yutaka Take (born March 15, 1969 in Kyoto, Kyoto) is a Japanese jockey. A legend in Japan, Yutaka Take made his riding debut in 1987 and currently holds seven all-time records in his native country. Take has won at least one Grade 1 races for 23 straight ...

, Haru Urara earned her 106th consecutive loss, placing 10th among 11 horses running. "Haru Urara" means beauty of spring in English, and it is also an idiom of the warm climate of spring in Japan, and its beautiful name is also said to be one of the reasons why Haru Urara became popular. Numerous products using Haru Urara's name or image have been produced, including stuffed toys, key rings, mobile phone straps, stickers, stamps, train tickets, rice, shochu, hats, T-shirts and bras. A number of books and songs, as well as a film, were also written about Haru Urara during the boom period. The

Japanese Prime Minister The prime minister of Japan (Japanese: 内閣総理大臣, Hepburn: ''Naikaku Sōri-Daijin'') is the head of government of Japan. The prime minister chairs the Cabinet of Japan and has the ability to select and dismiss its Ministers of State ...

Junichiro Koizumi Junichiro Koizumi (; , ''Koizumi Jun'ichirō'' ; born 8 January 1942) is a former Japanese politician who was Prime Minister of Japan and President of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) from 2001 to 2006. He retired from politics in 2009. He is ...

said "I'd like to see Haru Urara win, even just once. The horse is a good example of not giving up in the face of defeat." Haru Urara ran her last race in August 2004 and retired with a record of 0 wins and 113 losses.

Retirement

Originally, it was announced that Haru Urara would be returned from Tochigi where she was recuperating for a retirement race scheduled on March 2005. However, her return was soon postponed before officially being classified as retired by the NAR on October 2006, never returning to Kochi. Post retirement, there were plans to have her breed with Deep Impact as well as Stay Gold but never materialized. Once those plans fell through, she was transported by her owner at the time in 2013 to the Martha Farm in

Onjuku is a town located in Chiba, Japan. , the town had an estimated population of 7,523 in 3683 households and a population density of 300 persons per km². The total area o the town is . The name of the town is made of two ''kanji'' characters: t ...

Chiba Chiba may refer to: Places China * (), town in Jianli County, Jingzhou, Hubei Japan * Chiba (city), capital of Chiba Prefecture ** Chiba Station, a train station * Chiba Prefecture, a sub-national jurisdiction in the Greater Tokyo Area on ...

where she has lived since. At Martha Farm, Haru Urara became a minor PR character in 2018 when she was featured in a traffic safety poster of the

Kisarazu is a city located in Chiba Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 136,023 in 63,431 households and a population density of 980 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . Geography Kisarazu is located in the midwest ...

Police Station.

In Popular Culture

An anthromorphized version of Haru Urara appears as a character in both the anime and game of ''

Uma Musume Pretty Derby is a multimedia franchise created by Cygames. A mobile game for iOS and Android was scheduled to debut in late 2018 and then delayed to February 2021. A 13-episode anime television series adaptation by P.A. Works aired from April t ...

'', and fans have since come to visit the real life Haru Urara at Martha Farm.

Pedigree

References