Uma Musume Pretty Derby (TV)

The storyline of season 1 is inspired by the career of racehorse Special Week (1995-2018), who won 10 out of 17 races from 1997 to 1999. Those years were also known as the Golden Age of Japanese horse racing.

While nearly all of the uma musume are based on Japanese racehorses, Broye is based on Montjeu (1996-2012), an Irish-bred, French-trained thoroughbred that won 11 out of 16 races from 1998 to 2000. In keeping with Broye's French theme, she is designed after Oscar François de Jarjayes from The Rose of Versailles. Years after this series was released, Cygames obtained permission to use the Montjeu name and created a different character for the video game.

Tracen Academy's motto is "Eclipse first, the rest nowhere", which is a reference to the legendary English racehorse Eclipse (1764-1789), who was undefeated in his 18-race career. The quote stems from an old system in horse racing before stopwatches were invented, wherein a horse finishing more than 240 yards behind the leader was nowhere. Eclipse was said to have eliminated even the runner-up with his speed.

Former jockey and horse racing commentator Junko Hosoe voices a fictional version of herself in the series. She made her debut alongside Yukiko Masuzawa and Maki Tamura in 1996, becoming one of the first female jockeys in JRA history. Hosoe won 14 out of 491 races until 2001, when an injury forced her to retire from the sport. In 2014, She started her career as a commentator for Fuji TV's horse racing program Minna no Keiba. In 2024, Hosoe distanced herself from the horse racing world for personal reasons.

Special Week being raised by a human is based on the story of the real racehorse, who had to be hand-fed by stable staff after his dam (mother) Campaign Girl died shortly after giving birth. Her human mother is a stand-in for the stable staff and the draft horse that raised the real horse.

The colors and design of Special Week's racing costume pay homage to jockey Yutaka Take, who rode the real Special Week to multiple championships. The two Golden Glover medals represent the real horse's four G1 race wins.

Tazuna Hayakawa, who works as the director's secretary at Tracen Academy, has been suspected of being an uma musume herself. The art book for season 1 has a picture of her with horse ears, but this was never used in the anime. Furthermore, in the video game, Tazuna is able to catch Taiki Shuttle during curfew. Other hints include her pondering about having a double-life while watching a spy movie, as well as an announcement for a movie titled "The Phantom Uma Musume" (a reference to the 1955 film The Phantom Horse). Many of Tazuna's characteristics were inspired by the legendary Japanese racehorse Tokino Minoru (1948-1951), from sharing the same birthday to her uniform using the green and black colors of Mitsumasa Iwashita, Minoru's jockey.

Haruna Ikezawa, who voiced Broye, previously appeared as an assistant on the TV program NHK Speaking in French, which prepared her for the character's French dialogue.

In real life, Gold Ship (foaled March 6, 2009) is a descendant of Mejiro McQueen (1987-2006); hence the unusual relationship of their anime counterparts.

Silence Suzuka's racing costume uses the white and green colors worn by the real racehorse (1994-1998), who won nine out of 14 races from 1997 to 1998. She wears a brown left shoe and a white right shoe, as the real horse had a brown rear-left leg while the other legs were white. Her green and yellow ornament is a nod to the one worn by the real horse.

Kunihide Matsuda, the owner of the real Daiwa Scarlet (foaled May 13, 2004) granted Cygames permission to use the name for the uma musume character, on the condition that her design be sexier than her rival Vodka. Daiwa Scarlet's racing costume is white and blue, after the racing silk worn by the jockeys that raced with the real racehorse, which won eight out of 12 races from 2006 to 2008, as well as the JRA Award for Best Three-Year-Old Filly in 2007.

If an uma musume has an accessory on her right ear, her original horse was a stallion (male). An accessory on her left ear indicates that her original horse was a mare (female).

Oguri Cap's diamond-patterned headband is a nod to the racing silk worn by the jockeys who competed with the real racehorse (1985-2010), who won 22 out of 32 races from 1987 to 1990, as well as the Japanese Horse of the Year award in 1990.

Narita Brian's racing costume is primarily colored pink after the racing silk worn by the jockeys that raced with the real horse (1991-1998), who won 12 out of 21 races from 1993 to 1996, as well as the Japanese Horse of the Year award in 1994. The racehorse was also the fifth to win the Japanese Triple Crown (after St Lite in 1941, Shinzan in 1964, Mr. C.B. in 1983, and Symboli Rudolf in 1984). The tape on her nose is a reference to the racehorse's "shadow roll", which is attached to the noseband of the bridle to restrict downward vision, helping the racehorse focus forward during a race.

The yellow and blue tank top on Vodka's racing costume references the colors of the racing silk worn by the jockeys that raced with the real racehorse (2004-2019), who won 10 out of 26 races from 2006 to 2010, including the 2007 Tōkyō Yūshun (Japanese Derby) and the 2009 Japan Cup. She also became the first mare to win the Japanese Horse of the Year award twice: in 2008 and 2009.

El Condor Pasa's racing costume references the red and yellow racing silk worn by the jockeys who raced with the real racehorse (1995-2002) and is themed after lucha libre (Mexican professional wrestling). The racehorse was named after the Peruvian folk song "El Cóndor Pasa", which was made popular by Simon and Garfunkel in 1970. The real El Condor Pasa won eight out of 11 races from 1997 to 1999, as well as the 1999 Japanese Horse of the Year award.

A vast majority of the racehorses who served as the basis for the characters in the whole franchise are related as descendants of the American racehorse Sunday Silence (1986-2002), who won nine of his 14 races before retiring as the leading sire in Japan from 1995 to 2008. Notable progeny that have won major races include Special Week, Silence Suzuka, Admire Vega, Agnes Tachyon, Manhattan Cafe, Still in Love, Zenno Rob Roy, Daiwa Scarlet, Gold Ship, Kitasan Black, Satono Diamond, Duramente, and Forever Young.

Several racehorses that inspired other characters in the franchise are related as descendants of the Canadian racehorse Northern Dancer (1961-1990), who won 14 out of 18 races in his career before becoming one of the most successful sires of the 20th century. Notable descendants include Maruzensky, Super Creek, Tokai Teio, Air Groove, El Condor Pasa, Grass Wonder, Haru Urara, Agnes Tachyon, Daiwa Scarlet, Biwa Hayahide, Narita Brian, Narita Top Road, Sakura Bakushin O, Kitasan Black, Cheval Grand, Verxina, and Vivlos. Northern Dancer's son Northern Taste (1971-2004) was the leading sire in Japan from 1982 to 1983 and from 1985 to 1992.

Haru Urara being in a different class from the main cast, as well as making only brief appearances, is a loose reference to the real racehorse (1996-2025) not having raced in the Japan Racing Association (JRA). The real Haru Urara was winless in her 113-race career from 1998 to 2004. In 2003, word of her losing streak spread across Japan, with fans calling her "the shining star of losers everywhere" (負け組の星; makegumi no hoshi). Racing fans placed their bets on Haru Urara, using the losing tickets as good luck charms against traffic accidents.

In real life, Special Week had a fierce rivalry with Grass Wonder (1995-2025). Special Week never defeated Grass Wonder, even in his final race at the 1999 Arima Kinen.

The real Mejiro McQueen was named after American actor Steve McQueen.

Mejiro Ryan's racing costume features a striped shirt as a reference to the New York Mets, as the real racehorse (1987-2016) was named after American baseball legend Nolan Ryan.

In real life, Mejiro Dober (foaled May 6, 1994) is the daughter of Mejiro Ryan. as of 2026, she is the oldest-living racehorse represented in the Uma Musume franchise. With a record of 10 wins out of 20 races from 1996 to 1999, Mejiro Dober is the last true Mejiro horse, after Mejiro Farm closed down in 2011.

The real Symboli Rudolf (1981-2011) was nicknamed "Emperor" (皇帝, Kōtei) for his dominant career, with 13 wins in his 16-race career - including the 1984 Japanese Classic Triple Crown (Satsuki Shō, Tōkyō Yūshun, and Kikuka-shō), as well as Japanese Horse of the Year award in 1984 and 1985. He was also named after Rudolf I of Germany. The uma musume incarnation wears a green racing costume as a reference to the racing silk worn by the jockeys who raced with the racehorse. Her theme song "Seven" is named after the real racehorse's seven G1 wins. The real Symboli Rudolf's progeny includes Tokai Teio and Tsurumaru Tsuyoshi.

The statue of the Three Goddesses at Tracen Academy are based on the legendary racehorses Byerly Turk (1680-1703), Darley Arabian (1700-1730), and Godolphin Arabian (1724-1753); all three stallions founded the modern thoroughbred horse racing bloodstock. They were later adapted into the video game as AI characters, with Godolphin Arabian renamed "Godolphin Barb".

The real Air Groove (1993-2013) was nicknamed "Empress" (皇后) for her dominant performance during her career - especially against male horses. In her 19-race career from 1995 to 1998, she won nine races, including the 1995 Hanshin Juvenile Fillies, the 1996 Yushun Himba (Japanese Oaks), and the 1997 Autumn Tenno Sho. In 1997, Air Groove became the first mare to receive the Japanese Horse of the Year award.

Sun Visor is loosely based on the racehorse Sun Flare (1995-date of death unknown), who won five races in his 16-race career from 1998 to 2002.

Anju Inami was originally cast as Tokai Teio in March 2016 and even performed at live shows to promote the project while it was still in production, but she stepped down from the role due to schedule conflicts with her commitments to the Love Live! franchise and was replaced by Machico in August 2016.

Ayana Taketatsu was originally cast as Oguri Cap during pre-production, but for reasons unknown, her name was dropped and the role was given to Tomoyo Takayanagi. Taketatsu was not recast as another character in the franchise.

Narita Brian and Hishi Amazon are always seen together because of the history of their real racehorse counterparts. Hishi Amazon (1991-2019) was a mare who won 10 races in her 20-race career from 1993 to 1996, as well as JRA Awards for Best Filly from 1993 to 1995. At the 1994 Arima Kinen, Narita Brian took the win, but Hishi Amazon proved with a second-place finish that mares are able to rival colts in a race. Aside from the two racehorses being rivals, it was widely speculated by fans that they were romantically linked.

Taiki Shuttle speaks with a mix of Japanese and American English as a reference to the real racehorse (1994-2022), who was American-bred and won 11 races in his 13-race career, as well as the 1998 Japanese Horse of the Year.

King Halo's racing costume uses the green and blue colors of the racing silk worn by the jockeys that raced with the real racehorse (1995-2019). The six silver buttons symbolize the racehorse's six wins in his 27-race career. Despite having a mediocre career, King Halo was a successful stud horse, spawning successful racehorses such as Kawakami Princess and Equinox.

The Uma Musume Pretty Derby logo features a silhouette of Special Week.

Prior to being cast as Air Groove, Ruriko Aoki was assigned in the role of Deep Impact, but the character was dropped due to disagreements with the owners of the real racehorse.

Daiwa Scarlet was originally planned to be voiced by Sumire Uesaka, but the role was given to Chisa Kimura while Uesaka was recast as Agnes Tachyon in later installments of the franchise.

Eishin Flash is portrayed as being German, despite the real racehorse (foaled March 27, 2007) being Japanese-bred. This is a reference to the racehorse's German-bred dam Moonlady. The real Eishin Flash won six out of 27 races from 2009 to 2013.

Veteran jockey Yutaka Take makes a cameo appearance as a racing commentator in episode 5. He is the most successful jockey in Japanese horse racing history, having a total of 4,643 wins under the JRA and 201 wins under the National Association of Racing (NAR).

The reason why El Condor Pasa and Grass Wonder are almost always seen together is because their real-life counterparts were American-bred. Despite being owned by Japanese businesses, both racehorses were barred from participating at the Japanese Derby and other Classic races, as the JRA rules at the time did not allow foreign-born racehorses to compete in the Classic races. The dead heat finish at the Japanese Derby in episode 5 is purely fictional, as the real Special Week won the race in 1998.

In episode 6, Gold Ship ties a pink ribbon around Mejiro McQueen's tail. In horse racing, a pink ribbon indicates that the horse is a mare in estrus ("in heat").

The donut-eating contest in episode 6 is loosely based on the 1988 Arima Kinen, in which the real Oguri Cap and Tamamo Cross (1984-2003) finished first and second, respectively. Super Creek finished third, but was disqualified for skewing and blocking the path of Mejiro Durren on the final stretch. The race itself was re-enacted in Uma Musume: Cinderella Gray.

The race in episode 7 is based on the 1998 Autumn Tennō Shō, when the real Silence Suzuka suffered a compound fracture on his left front leg while leading the race. The racehorse was able to slow down and veer off the track to keep jockey Yutaka Take safe before collapsing. Due to the extent of the fracture, officials set up a tent at the racecourse and euthanized the four-year-old horse. El Condor Pasa winning the race is fictional, as the real racehorse was ineligible to participate at JRA Classic races such as the Tennō Shō due to his foreign birth; in real life, the race was won by Offside Trap (1991-2011).

The background character Kin'iro Ryotei (金色旅程) in episode 8 is a fictional stand-in for the racehorse Stay Gold (1994-2015), who won seven out of 50 races from 1996 to 2001, including wins in Dubai and Hong Kong. Following his retirement, he became a successful breeding stallion, siring Dream Journey (foaled February 4, 2004), Nakayama Festa (foaled April 5, 2006), Orfevre (foaled May 14, 2008), Gold Ship, and Fenomeno (foaled April 20, 2009). Stay Gold officially became part of the Uma Musume game roster in 2025.

The race in episode 12 is based on the 1999 Japan Cup. In the real race, Montjeu, who was the basis for Broye, not only lost to Special Week, but finished fourth.