Umamusume’s real-life inspiration behind Grass Wonder passed away last Friday, announced Japan’s Big Red Farm. Read on to know more about the career and death of one of racing’s finest horses, as well as the community’s mourning of his passing.
Umamusume’s Real-Life Grass Wonder’s Death
Multiple Organ Failures at Old Age
Umamusume Pretty Derby’s real-life horse inspiration for Grass Wonder passed away last Friday, after multiple organ failures associated with old age took over a day before. Japan’s Big Red Farm, which stabled Grass Wonder, announced the passing of the 30-year-old retired champion and commemorated the record-winning racehorse.
Last June, Cygames launched the global version of Umamusume, a racing simulator game centered around training anthropomorphized horses. One of the featured characters was Grass Wonder, who, like every trainee in the game, was inspired by a real-life racehorse of the same name. This incarnation of the character was born in America and battled and triumphed over a major injury–just like her real-life counterpart.
The famed Grass Wonder debuted in 1996, where he was undefeated for a year and won the Asahi Cup. He took home 9 victories out of 15 races in his career from 1996-2000. As a stud, he sired successes such as Screen Wonder, Sakura Mega Wonder, Earnestly, and Seiun Wonder, among many others.
Umamusume Devs and Community Offer Their Condolences
In response to this loss, the developers of Umamusume released an official announcement grieving the loss of Grass Wonder and offered their condolences to the staff involved in his care. Fans also took to social media to honor the passing of the racehorse, with some commemorating him through fan art projects.
"Thank you for introducing us to Grass Wonder through your game [Umamusume]," replied one Twitter user under CyGame’s announcement. "Even though it is sad to know he passed away, his legacy will live on through you guys. I hope his owners know how loved he was."
Rena Maeda, Grass Wonder’s Japanese VA in Umamusume, mourned his death by sharing her encounter with the real-life racehorse in 2018. "He was eating lots of grass in the magnificent nature of Hokkaido," reminisced Maeda. "Among them, dandelions seemed to be his favorite, and they were already all eaten and gone in Grass Wonder's room."
Fans commemorated the beloved horse in reference to Maeda's story. "You were Umazing, Grass Wonder! May you enjoy all the dandelions in horse heaven," cheered one fan on Twitter.
Umamusume Pretty Derby is available on iOS, Android, and PC. To stay posted on the latest information about the game, check out our article below!
Sources:
グラスワンダー 死去 | Big Red Farm Japan
Umamusume: Pretty Dirby Grieving Grass Wonder/ X
Rena Maeda Commemorates Grass Wonder / X
