Here are the racehorses of the ‘90s that you can train in Umamusume: Pretty Derby.
Umamusume: Pretty Derby took the world by a storm when it became available for global players just last month, 26 June. And although the game has been a staple gacha for Japan since 2021, its characters, aptly called umamusume (literally meaning “horse girl”), has won the hearts of many players since then.
Besides giving us adorable anthropomorphised horse girls to train and get to know, Umamusume: Pretty Derby has opened the gates (pun intended) for younger generations to learn about the fast-paced and competitive world of professional racehorsing (or keiba), a sport that has cemented itself in the Japanese psyche since its boom in popularity in the 1860s.
Given its enduring legacy, many legendary racehorses have etched themselves into history. Seeing this untapped market of potential, game developer Cygames conceptualised the cute and addictive gacha game we know today.
So, which legendary racehorses got into Umamusume: Pretty Derby, what happened during their careers, and where are they now? Previously, we explored the 1970s and 1980s racehorses featured in the game, so in this article, we’re continuing our deep dive into the current list of active trainees in the global server:
Air Groove
Air Groove was a mare who raced from 1995 to 1998, and had seven major wins under her belt. Out of her 19 total races, Air Groove placed first in nine.
Air Groove beat the odds during her active years, as it was generally difficult for mares (female horses) to defeat stallions (male horses) in races, even winning Horse of the Year in 1997–a historic feat, as it had been 26 years since a mare was given the distinction. Additionally, Air Groove broke a dry spell in the 1997 Autumn G1 Tenno Sho race, becoming the first mare to win the race in 17 years.
Air Groove retired to become a broodmare in 1998, birthing 11 foals during her active years. She enjoyed a relatively long life, passing away at the age of 20 in 2013.
El Condor Pasa
A legendary stallion, El Condor Pasa was decorated with four major wins, three awards, and three honours throughout his racing career, which spanned from 1997 to 1999. El Condor Pasa is described as the best Japanese racehorse of the 20th century.
Although given such a distinguishing title, El Condor Pasa was forbidden to run in classic Japanese races due to being foreign-bred. This didn’t stop him from winning though; out of the 11 races he ran, he placed first in eight, including four out of five French races he joined during the later part of his career.
El Condor Pasa became a breeding stallion after his retirement, siring three crops of foals before passing away from horse colic in 2002, at the young age of just seven years old.
Grass Wonder
Grass Wonder is a stallion whose racing career lasted from 1997 until 2000. He has five major wins and two awards, and was the leading juvenile colt in Japan in 1997. Out of his 15 races, he won nine.
Although Grass Wonder went off to a strong start at the early part of his career, his second season suffered due to a leg injury. However, he came back with a vengeance in the 1998 autumn Arima Kinen, where he won first place by only a distance of half-a-length.
Grass Wonder later on retired to become a stud, and has had some success with breeding a crop of successful foals. He is now 30 years old.
Update 8/8/2025: Grass Wonder has passed away due to multiple organ failure attributed to old age.
Haru Urara
Known as the “Shining star of losers everywhere”, Haru Urara is famous not because of a stellar career, but because she had lost all 113 of her races as an active racehorse from 1998 to 2004. This may seem like a devastating arc to her story, but fans both in Japan and all around the world love her because of this.
Even though Haru Urara lost all her races, viewers at the stands were moved by her determination to show up and do her best, even if circumstances seemed to always be against her. This tenacious spirit boosted Haru Urara to national, and now international, popularity, making her an enduring symbol of perseverance.
This popularity skyrocketed support for Haru Urara even further, with betting tickets purchased for her being used as an o-mamori (protective charm) against traffic accidents, and even merchandise with her likeness being purchased by droves. The previous Japanese Prime Minister at the time, Junichiro Koizumi, went as far as to say “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 went into official retirement in 2006, and now enjoys a peaceful and happy life at a farm. She is currently 29 years old. Due to the popularity of Umamusume: Pretty Derby, the farm recently received copious amounts of grass in donation to Haru Urara from fans all over the world.
And no, Haru Urara is no longer an all-time loser! In 2019, she ran a time trial race for older horses in the first “Soft Girls’ Gathering" event, where she finally, deservedly, won first place.
Update 9/9/2025: Haru Urara has died, the cause of which was revealed to be Horse Colic.
King Halo
King Halo was a stallion that showed great aptitude for a variety of racing distances, leading to him having a rather colourful career as a professional racehorse.
Although he has only one major win under his belt, which is the 2000 Takamatsunomiya Kinen, King Halo did incredibly well in GII and GIII races. His career lasted only four years, from 1997 to 2000. Out of the 27 races he joined, he won six.
King Halo retired as a stud afterwards, and according to records, had a service fee of a whopping 1 million yen. His crop of foals also produced winning horses, driving his service fee to 3.5 million yen at some point in time.
King Halo passed away in 2019 at the age of 23. The cause of his death was attributed to old age.
Matikanefukukitaru
Not much is known about Matikanefukukitaru when it came to the intricacies of his career, which lasted from 1996 to 2000. However, records found online revealed that the stallion ran 22 races, placing first in six. His major win was the 1997 Kikuka Sho.
Matikanefukukitaru retired after his last competition at the G1 Taklarazuka Kinen in 2000, but even details of his retirement are unavailable. It is known however, that the stallion passed away in 2020. He was 26 years old.
Mayano Top Gun
Mayano Top Gun was a racehorse who ran from 1995 to 1997, with five major wins and two awards under his belt. Out of the 22 races he participated in, Mayano Top Gun earned eight total wins.
Not much is known about his retirement, but he did turn out to be a highly successful breeding stallion. He passed away in 2019 at 27 years old.
Mejiro Mcqueen
A legendary racehorse with an insanely stacked pedigree, Mejiro Mcqueen is part of the Mejiro family of distinguished racehorses, and as such, was an iconic horse himself during his lifetime.
His career spanned from 1990 to 1993, and is backed up by six major wins, one award for Best Older Male Horse (1991), and the honour of being inducted into the Japanese Racing Association Hall of Fame (1994). Out of the 21 races Mejiro McQueen participated in, he won first place in 12.
Although McQueen rose to prominence in the middle of his career, he suffered an injury that kept him off the track for almost a year. What could have been his triumphant return to G1 glory was also cut off by the horse Rice Shower at the spring Tenno Sho of 1993. However, McQueen bounced back for his last two races, even logging a record time of 2 minutes, 22 seconds at the 1993 Kyoto Daishoten.
McQueen retired to become a successful breeding stallion. And if you didn’t already know this, McQueen is the grandfather of Gold Ship! His descendants have been successful racehorses keeping his legacy alive. McQueen passed away in 2006, on his 19th birthday.
Mihono Bourbon
Mihono Bourbon is a racehorse with a career spanning from 1991 to 1992, an incredibly short endeavour ended by a swathe of racing-related injuries. He holds a record of seven wins and one loss.
Known by a variety of nicknames such as ”Cyborg”, “Spartan Wind”, and “Product of the Hill”, Mihono Bourbon was a horse that was motivated to win at all costs, and even through retirement sported muscles that seemed yet to tire from racing.
He went on to become a breeding stallion, though records online seem to imply that this career was less successful than his stint as a racehorse. He passed away in 2016 at 27 years old.
Information used in this article was sourced from NetKeiba and NamuWiki.
