Uma Musume Pretty Derby Season 2 (TV)

The series' premise is based on the history of the real Tokai Teio (1988-2013), who suffered a leg injury that prevented him from achieving the Japanese Triple Crown (three consecutive G1 race wins) in 1992, but won his return race a year later.

In real life, Tokai Teio was a descendant of Symboli Rudolf (1981-2011).

For Tokai Teio's main racing costume, she wears one black glove to reference the original horse having three white legs and a black left front leg. The four buttons symbolize the horse's four G1 race wins.

Mayano Top Gun shares very little similarities with the racehorse (1992-2019) she is named after; instead, she is themed after the American film franchise Top Gun, from her use of fighter pilot jargon right down to her bomber jacket. Her yellow tank top references the racing silk worn by the jockeys that raced with the real racehorse. In 2022, Cygames used her for a cross-promotion between Uma Musume and Top Gun: Maverick.

The real Rice Shower (1989-1995) did defeat Mihono Bourbon at the 1992 Kikuka-shō and Mejiro McQueen at the 1993 Tenno Sho. Like in the anime, the horse's wins upset horse racing fans, as both Mihono Bourbon and Mejiro McQueen were aiming for the triple crown. At the 1995 Takarazuka Kinen, Rice Shower fell and sustained a left front leg fracture and had to be euthanized due to the extent of the injury.

The opening theme "Yume o Kakeru" is named after the 1994 photobook Yume o Kakeru Tokai Teio (夢を駆けるトウカイティオー).

The racing costumes of all of the Mejiro uma musume feature the colors teal and white, which were used as the racing silks worn by the jockeys that raced with the real Mejiro Shouji Co. Ltd. horses.

Some of the horses from Mejiro Shouji Co. Ltd. were named after western celebrities and athletes: Mejiro McQueen (1987-2006) after actor Steve McQueen, Mejiro Palmer (1987-2012) after golf legend Arnold Palmer, and Mejiro Ryan (1987-2016) after baseball hall-of-famer Nolan Ryan.

Mihono Bourbon wears a cyberpunk racing costume as a reference to the real horse (1989-2017) being nicknamed the "Cyborg" for his precise, machine-like running pace. The game version of Bourbon has an even more robotic personality.

Rice Shower's racing costume features a dagger that references the real racehorse being nicknamed the "Black Assassin".

In episode 1, Air Groove is startled when a fan takes a flash photo of her. This is based on an incident when the real Air Groove (1993-2013) sustained a leg injury after she was frightened by flash cameras around her before a race; as a result, the JRA banned flash photography within racetracks.

In episode 3, the old man standing next to Gold Ship during the Hanshin Daishoten is based on Takatoshi Imanami, who groomed the real Gold Ship (foaled March 6, 2009).