If you’ve spent any amount of time in the training trenches of Umamusume: Pretty Derby, you know the dread. It’s that late May weekend in the Senior Year. The sun is shining over Tokyo Racecourse. The crowd is roaring. And your girl just ran out of gas at the 2200m mark because you underestimated the sheer cruelty of the Yushun Himba. Most people just call it the Japanese Oaks. It’s the second leg of the Triple Tiara, and honestly, it’s where most casual runs go to die.
The Japanese Oaks in Pretty Derby isn’t just another race on the schedule. It’s a 2400m endurance test that sits at a weird spot in the game's progression. You’re coming off the 1600m Oka Sho (Japanese 1000 Guineas), which is basically a sprint by comparison. Suddenly, the game asks you to tack on an extra half-mile of distance. If you haven't prepped your stamina, you’re cooked. It’s that simple.
I’ve seen so many players complain that their Air Groove or Daiwa Scarlet hit a wall here. They have the speed. They have the power. But they treat the Oaks like a slightly longer mile race. Big mistake.
Why the Pretty Derby Japanese Oaks Ruins So Many Runs
The distance is the obvious killer, but it’s the timing that really gets you. In the training simulation, the Japanese Oaks occurs in Late May of your second year (Junior Year in real-world racing terms, though the game labels the years differently depending on the scenario). At this point, you’re usually hyper-focused on boosting Speed to win the early-season trophies.
2400m is the "Classic" distance. In real-life horse racing, this is the distance of the Epsom Derby and the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. In Pretty Derby, it bridges the gap between Medium and Long distance. While technically classified as a Medium distance race (2100m–2400m), it plays much more like a Long distance event because of the stamina drain.
If your Stamina stat is hovering around 300 without any recovery skills, you’re praying for a miracle. You’ll see the "out of breath" animation—that heartbreaking moment where your horse girl starts huffing and puffing while the rest of the pack sails past. It's brutal to watch.
The Stamina Threshold You Actually Need
Let's talk numbers, but keep it casual. You don't need a PhD in math, but you do need to respect the bar. For a comfortable win in the Pretty Derby Japanese Oaks, you generally want at least 400 Stamina. If you can get it to 450, you're golden.
But wait. There’s a catch.
Skills matter more than the raw stat sometimes. If you’re running a girl with a "Maestros" skill (like the legendary Arc Maestro from the Super Creek support card), you can cheat the stat a bit. One gold recovery skill is worth roughly 150-200 points of raw Stamina.
I remember a run with Mihono Bourbon where I ignored Stamina entirely because I thought her "Lead" style would carry her. She led for 2000 meters. Then, at the final turn, her legs turned to lead. She finished 12th. It was a wake-up call. You can't outrun biology, even in a game about girls with horse ears.
Strategy: Who Actually Wins the Oaks?
Not every girl is built for this. In the Pretty Derby universe, your character's "Aptitude" dictates everything. For the Japanese Oaks, you need a girl with at least an A in Medium distance.
- The Favorites: Mejiro McQueen, Rice Shower, and Gold Ship usually breeze through this if they are in your support rotation or if you're training them.
- The "Trap" Characters: Vodka and Daiwa Scarlet. These two are the faces of the game, but their base stats lean toward Mile racing. If you're taking Vodka to the Oaks, you better have some serious Stamina inheritance from her parents.
The strategy you pick—Runner, Leader, Betweener, or Chaser—drastically changes how much Stamina you burn. Runners (the ones who bolt to the front) actually need more Stamina because they are fighting the wind and the pressure of the pack the whole time. If you’re nervous about the distance, switching your strategy to "Betweener" (Sashi) can sometimes save just enough energy to clinch a victory in the final 200 meters.
The Tokyo Racecourse Factor
The Japanese Oaks happens at Tokyo. This track is famous for its long home stretch. It’s about 525 meters of straight-up sprinting at the end.
This is where "Guts" (the most misunderstood stat in the game) comes into play. Guts determines how much Stamina you consume during the final spurt and how well you resist being overtaken. In the Oaks, if two girls have equal Speed and Stamina, the one with higher Guts wins the duel on that long Tokyo straightaway. Don't ignore it. You don't need to max it out, but leaving it at 150 is a recipe for a second-place finish.
Common Misconceptions About the Triple Tiara
People get obsessed with the Triple Tiara. They want that special trophy. To get it, you have to win the Oka Sho, the Japanese Oaks, and the Shuka Sho.
The misconception is that if you win the first leg (Oka Sho), you’re "on track." Honestly? The Oka Sho is a distraction. It’s a 1600m burst. Winning it tells you nothing about your ability to survive the Oaks. In fact, training specifically to win the Oka Sho often gimp’s your Stamina so badly that the Oaks becomes impossible.
It’s better to "over-train" Stamina early. You might struggle a bit more in the 1600m races because your Speed isn't optimal, but you’ll cruise through the 2400m Oaks while everyone else is hitting the wall.
Let's Talk Support Cards
If you’re F2P (Free to Play), the Japanese Oaks is your first big hurdle. You need the right friends.
- Super Creek (Stamina): Even the SR version is "okay," but the SSR is the queen. Arc Maestro is the best skill in the game for the Oaks. Period.
- Kitasan Black (Speed): Everyone uses her. She gives you the Speed to actually capitalize on your Stamina.
- Fine Motion (Intelligence): Winning the Oaks requires good positioning. High Intelligence prevents your girl from "hanging" in the pack and wasting energy.
I’ve seen people try to "brute force" the Oaks with only Speed cards. It works maybe 1 out of 10 times. Usually, you just end up with a very fast girl who collapses at the 2200m mark. It's painful to watch.
The Real-World Connection: Why It's Called the "Yushun Himba"
In the game, we call it the Japanese Oaks, but the UI often lists it as the Yushun Himba. It’s based on the real G1 race established in 1938.
The game is surprisingly faithful to the real-world conditions. Just like in the game, the real Japanese Oaks is known for being the "definitive" test for three-year-old fillies. While the Derby is for both colts and fillies, the Oaks is specifically for the ladies.
When you see characters like Air Groove or Mejiro Dober getting emotional about this race in the game's story mode, it’s because their real-life counterparts were legends of the turf who defined their careers in these exact conditions. Air Groove’s 1996 win was a massive deal, and the game honors that by making her a powerhouse in this specific distance bracket.
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Training Tactic: The "Oaks Buffer"
Here is a practical workflow for your next training session to ensure you don't choke at the Pretty Derby Japanese Oaks.
First, stop training Speed exclusively in the first year. By the time you hit the "Debut" race, your Stamina should already be nearing 200.
Second, utilize the "Summer Training" (Classic Year, July/August). Most people use this to catch up on stats they missed. I use the months before the Oaks—specifically April and May—to spam Stamina training if I’m under 350.
Third, check your skills. Do not spend all your Skill Points (PT) on "Green" skills (passive buffs for specific tracks). Save them for "Blue" (recovery) and "Yellow" (speed/acceleration). For the Oaks, one Blue skill is worth five Green ones.
The Rainy Day Scenario
Sometimes, the game RNG (Random Number Generation) hates you. It rains. The track becomes "Heavy" or "Bad."
When the track condition isn't "Firm," Stamina consumption increases significantly. This is why you see "Stamina Greed" builds. If it’s raining at Tokyo during the Oaks, and you only have the bare minimum stamina, you are basically guaranteed to lose. Always build a 10% safety buffer into your stats to account for bad weather.
What Happens if You Lose?
Honestly? It’s not the end of the world, but it hurts your "Fans" count. To reach the higher tiers of the URA Finals or the Grand Masters scenarios, you need a high fan count to trigger level-ups for your Unique Skill.
The Japanese Oaks offers a massive amount of fans. Losing it usually means you’ll have to run two or three "Lesser" races later in the year to make up the difference. That’s three turns of training you’ve wasted. Winning the Oaks isn't just about the trophy; it’s about efficiency.
Actionable Steps for Your Next Run
To consistently conquer the Pretty Derby Japanese Oaks, you need to stop playing reactively. Start playing like a trainer who knows the schedule.
- Audit your Stamina early: Aim for 400 Stamina by Late May of the Classic/Junior year. If you aren't there, start burning your "Rest" turns earlier so you can spam Stamina training in the weeks leading up to the race.
- Prioritize "Arc Maestro" or "Cool Down": These gold recovery skills are the ultimate insurance policy. If you see them available, take them, even if it means passing up a flashy Speed skill.
- Check Aptitude Inheritance: Before you even start a training run, ensure your girl has "A" rank in Medium distance. If she has a "B," use your inheritance (parents) to bump it up. The difference in speed penalty between B and A is enough to lose you the race by a nose.
- Watch the Home Stretch: If your girl is consistently losing in the last 200 meters, it’s a Power or Guts issue. If she’s losing in the last 600 meters, it’s a Stamina issue. Identify which one it is and adjust your next training session accordingly.
- Use the "Strategy" switch: Don't be afraid to change a "Runner" to a "Leader" just for this race if you’re worried about her gas tank. You can always switch it back for the shorter races later.
The Japanese Oaks is a gatekeeper. Once you learn how to pass it, the rest of the Triple Tiara—and the mid-game in general—becomes significantly less stressful. It's about respecting the 2400m distance and giving your Umamusume the lungs she needs to finish the job.