You know Haru Urara. She’s the pink-haired bundle of pure sunshine in Umamusume: Pretty Derby who famously never won a race in real life but won basically every heart in Japan. But when Cygames dropped the New Year Haru Urara (officially the [Vibrant Hope] version) during the "A Happy New Future" event, the community didn't quite know what to do with her. Is she a meme? A legitimate contender?
Honestly, she’s a bit of both.
Most players look at Urara and see the "G" rank in Turf and immediately bench her for anything competitive. That’s a mistake. While the standard version of Urara is a struggle bus for beginners, the New Year alt is a surprisingly sophisticated piece of kit if you actually look at how her skills interact with the modern meta. She isn't just a costume swap; she’s a complete mechanical overhaul that addresses her biggest weakness: stamina management in long-burn dirt races.
The Reality of the New Year Haru Urara Kit
Let's get real about her stats. The New Year version shifts her growth bonuses. Instead of the standard focus, you're getting a 20% Strength bonus and a 10% Stamina bonus. This is huge. If you’ve ever tried to run the original Urara in a Champions Meeting, you know she tends to gas out or get bullied in the final corner because she lacks the raw power to push through the pack.
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The "Vibrant Hope" version changes the math.
Her unique skill, "1, 2, Steppy!" (or Ichini no, San!), is where things get weirdly good. It’s a recovery and speed hybrid. Most people think healing skills are a waste on short-distance runners, but Urara is a "Between" (Sashi) or "Chaser" (Oikomi) type. These archetypes burn through stamina like crazy when they make their move. Because this skill triggers when her stamina is getting low in the middle of the race, it acts as a safety net that lets you dump more training points into Speed and Power without fearing a total collapse before the finish line.
Why Dirt Racing is Changing
In the current state of Umamusume, Dirt tracks are notoriously punishing. You have a very limited pool of viable girls compared to the bloated Turf roster. You’ve got Oguri Cap, Inari One, and maybe Copano Rickey if you’ve whaled hard enough.
New Year Haru Urara fills a very specific niche here. She is arguably the best "budget" Dirt Chaser because her innate skills like "Full of Energy" and "Dirt Perseverance" make her incredibly sticky. She doesn't just fall behind; she clings to the heels of the leaders.
What Most People Get Wrong About Her Strategy
I see this constantly on Discord and Reddit: people trying to force her into a "Runner" (逃げ) role because they think it's funny. Stop. You're killing her potential.
The New Year alt is built for the back of the pack. Her kit is designed to trigger when she's surrounded by other horses. If she’s out in front, half of her passive buffs won't even activate. You want her sitting in 8th or 9th place, building up that "tension" before the final straight.
The Inheritance Problem
Is she hard to build? Yeah, kinda.
You still have to deal with her abysmal Turf aptitude if you ever want to run her outside of the few Dirt tracks available in the URA or Grand Live scenarios. To make her truly competitive, you need a 9-star Turf inheritance just to get her to a "C" or "B" rank. Is it worth the headache?
If you're a casual player, maybe not. But if you’re looking to flex in a Room Match, a New Year Urara crossing the line ahead of a Christmas Oguri is the ultimate power move. It’s about the psychological damage, sure, but it’s also about the fact that her New Year's kit actually scales better with high-tier Support Cards like SSR Rice Shower (Power) or SSR Super Creek.
Skill Breakdown: The Good and the Mediocre
We need to talk about "Golden Spirit." This is one of her gold skills that usually comes with her awakening. In long-distance dirt, it's a lifesaver. In short sprints? It's basically flavor text. This is the nuance of New Year Haru Urara—she is a specialist.
- The Unique Skill: "1, 2, Steppy!" triggers based on stamina depletion. It’s reliable.
- The Awakening Skills: You get a lot of "persistence" buffs. These are great for preventing her from being blocked (the dreaded "boxed in" status).
- The Hidden Benefit: Her base stats for Guts are higher than the average alt, which, in the current "Guts Meta," means she wins more "trials of strength" in the final 200 meters.
Honestly, the biggest hurdle isn't the horse herself; it's the player's willingness to invest the time. You can't just slap a generic speed set on her. You need to focus on her Intelligence (Wisdom) stats. Because she’s a Sashi/Oikomi runner, her "pathfinding" needs to be top-tier, or she’ll just spend the whole race running into the back of a Broadbelt.
Comparing the OG to the New Year Version
If you look at the raw data from the Japanese servers, the win rate for New Year Haru Urara is roughly 15% higher in Dirt-specific leagues than the base version. That’s not a small margin.
The base Urara is a starter unit. She’s designed to teach you the mechanics. The New Year version is a "bridge" unit. She’s meant for players who are moving into the mid-game and need a reliable Dirt runner who doesn't require five copies of a limited-run SSR card to function. Plus, let’s be real—the kimono design and the mochi-pounding animations are top-tier. Cygames put a lot of love into the personality of this unit, and it shows in her unique story events, which offer some of the best Guts and Stamina gains in the game.
The "Meme" Factor vs. Reality
People call her a meme because the real Haru Urara was a loser. 113 starts, 0 wins. But the game is a "what if" scenario. The New Year version represents the peak of that "what if."
When you run her, you aren't just running a girl in a fancy dress; you're running a unit that has been mathematically tuned to survive the harshest track conditions in the game. She’s the cockroach of the dirt track—you can't shake her, and eventually, she’s going to outlast you.
How to Actually Win with New Year Haru Urara
If you want to stop losing with her, you need to change your training loop.
- Prioritize Power over everything. She needs to be able to burst out of the pack. If her Power stat is under 1000 by the time you hit Senior year, you’ve already lost.
- Use "Advice" from Support Cards. Specifically, look for cards that give "Positioning" or "Lane Change" buffs.
- Don't ignore Guts. In the final stretch, her "1, 2, Steppy!" skill will keep her moving, but her Guts stat will determine if she can maintain that top speed while rubbing shoulders with other runners.
It’s a specific playstyle. It’s not for everyone. But for those who put in the work, she’s a monster.
Actionable Next Steps for Your Training
If you're ready to take New Year Haru Urara seriously, start with these three moves:
- Audit your Parent Horses: Search your friends list for anyone with 3-star Dirt or 3-star Turf factors. You need to fix her aptitudes before the first race even starts.
- Target the "JBC Sprint": Use this race in your training rotation to test her mid-game speed. If she isn't winning this by at least 3 lengths, your Power stat is too low.
- Focus on Wisdom Support: Equip at least one high-level Wisdom card (like SSR Fine Motion) to ensure her skills actually trigger. A runner with no skill triggers is just a slow horse in a pretty dress.
Stop treating her like a joke and start treating her like the Dirt specialist she was designed to be. The rewards—both in terms of race wins and just seeing her happy New Year's smile—are well worth the effort.