For many years, American racetracks have struggled with methods to entice new followers. They’ve been very artistic in creating particular fan days and occasions that embrace VIP experiences, boutique meet-and-greets, concert events, vogue, and themed experiences.
At the moment, cultural phenomena resembling gaming, dwell music concert events, manga, and anime are going down in Japan, drawing 1000’s of latest younger followers into the game.
Uma Musume Fairly Derby is a multifaceted pc recreation developed in 2018 by Cygames, a subsidiary of CyberAgent, and launched in 2021. With a reported 21 million downloads in June 2024, it’s Cygames’ greatest vendor. The founding father of CyberAgent is Susumu Fujita, proprietor of Boutique Group Saudi Derby and UAE Derby-winning star Japanese racehorse Endlessly Younger. Sponsors embrace Atlantis The Royal in 2024 and the Saudi Cup and Longines Breeders’ Cup Basic in 2025. The official English model of the sport was launched in June 2025.
“Ma” means horse and “musume” means daughter or lady. The characters are depicted as teenage “horse women” with anthropomorphic horse attributes resembling ears and tails that match the colour of their hair. They’re modeled after well-known thoroughbreds and are given character traits and backgrounds. Utilizing racing sequences, Uma appeals to gamers as she demonstrates persistence, pace, stamina, and camaraderie.
The main target of the sport is on gamers (or “trainers”) who purchase characters and kind bonds whereas coaching them to win races. The races are primarily based on historic races, and many of the characters are primarily based on actual racehorses resembling Particular Week, Silence Suzuka, Oguri Cap, Tremendous Creek, and the beloved Haru Urara. There are 114 playable Uma Musume characters within the recreation (as of Might 2025). A Reddit fan dialogue from October 2025 said, “Of the 38 horses inducted into the JRA Corridor of Fame, 15 horses immortalized Uma Musume as playable or soon-to-be playable.”
Reviewers praised the sport’s wonderful writing and animation. We’ll have fun with a stage present that includes high-quality visuals and detailed characters singing and dancing after the race.
The sport makes use of a calendar system, which requires trainers to plan and strategize. Trainees have 5 attributes that they use to develop and win races: stamina, energy, pace, grit, and resourcefulness. As younger trainees develop, random occasions can happen that have an effect on them. The trainees attend the “Tracen Academy” in Tokyo and are coaching to take part within the “Twinkle Sequence,” knowledgeable race sponsored by the “Uma Musume Horse Racing Affiliation.”
For 3 seasons, it created a multimedia motion that attracted 1000’s of followers, together with dwell concert events, main merchandise gross sales, animation, and collaborative occasions at racetracks. The primary season focuses on Particular Week, the principle character of the primary season of the anime, “Beginning Gate!”. She grew up as a rustic lady and desires of changing into one of the best horse lady in Japan. She is described as brilliant and cheerful, hard-working, delicate and inspiring. She is depicted with a brown and purple quick bob, and her lace costume is pink, purple, and white.
Tokai Teio will seem within the second season of the anime. She is described as brilliant and cheerful, and has desires of difficult for Japan’s Triple Crown. She is described as petite with lengthy amber hair tied up in a ponytail with white streaks in her bangs. She has a particular “brilliant march” (a particular trot she performs across the paddock) that her followers name the “teio step.” She honors her heritage whereas transferring in the direction of her objectives and desires.
Within the third season, Kitasan Black seems with crimson eyes and black hair with white streaks. She wears a brief black kimono with crimson and gold accents as her racewear. Her signature racing put on is claimed to have been impressed by the proprietor of the true Kitasan Black.
One of the common characters is Urara Haru, a Japanese thoroughbred who raced from 1998 to 2004 with a file of no wins and 113 losses. She gained nationwide recognition as an emblem of equine perseverance and tenacity. She was often known as “the shining star of losers all over the place.” Her identify meant wonderful or mild spring. She retired to Martha Farm and handed away in September 2025.
In Uma Musume she is depicted as a lady with brilliant rose pink hair. Followers flocked to Martha Farm to catch a glimpse of the true spring urara. In July 2025, a submit on social media platform X went viral informing followers that they might donate ryegrass to the farm. The response was so nice that the Japanese web site briefly crashed. Followers reportedly donated greater than 2,500 kilograms of ryegrass.
Northern Lake Farm in Hokkaido cares for retired Japanese racehorses and can be residence to Meishodoto. Within the recreation, Meisei Doto is depicted as a personality with low shallowness and floppy ears. She is praised for her willpower to enhance. In 2025, Northern Lake Farm’s fundraising marketing campaign was considerably stepped up by Uma Musume Fairly Derby followers, elevating donations (reportedly between $600,000 and $800,000) to enhance the power and supply higher take care of getting old thoroughbreds.
This gaming phenomenon captures the creativeness and curiosity of followers, and consequently, many followers journey to racetracks to see actual racehorses. The discharge of the English model of the sport might have a worldwide influence. In December 2025, Cygames introduced that “Uma Musume Fairly Derby” gained “Finest Cell Sport” at The Sport Awards 2025, an Academy Award-style recreation award.
Ranch visits are so common that Cygames has issued tips for followers visiting the stables, together with the do’s and don’ts of visiting actual horses in Japan. Followers have additionally shared pictures of themselves visiting the grave of their beloved horse who handed away. Followers additionally take part in dwell horse racing and horse possession. Completely happy Meek, an actual racehorse named after the character from “Uma Musume Fairly Derby,” gained the race held at Nagoya Racecourse on January 1st.
In 2025, Breeders’ Cup Ltd. introduced the renewal of its partnership with Cygames Inc. The corporate participated within the Breeders’ Cup in 2024 to commemorate the abroad enlargement of “Uma Musume Fairly Derby.” Cygames is the primary Japanese recreation developer to associate with Churchill Downs, putting in an interactive demo sales space within the infield in 2025.
What influence will this match have on horse racing? Its affect is already evident in Japan. Though there are cultural variations between Japan and the US, the discharge of the English model of “Uma Musume Fairly Derby” has the potential to achieve new younger followers. It can assist develop younger followers and welcome them into the true world of horse racing. They might grow to be followers for all times.
Because of the recognition of superstars like Zenyatta, Rachel Alexandra, Barbaro, Shackleford and California Chrome, new followers have been launched to horse racing. Lots of these followers grew to become a part of horse racing syndicates and started working throughout the horse racing trade. Turning into an avid fan can actually be your gateway to the world of horse racing. In some ways, “Uma Musume Fairly Derby” is already out of the gate!
