Racehorse Loses 106 Straight Races (is cult hero)

[matcom]

<snip>

JAPAN'S celebrated no-hoper Haru-urara clocked up her 106th straight defeat, keeping alive national fever over a losing streak that has won her a place in the hearts of millions of struggling Japanese.

Even star jockey Yutaka Take could not reverse the fortunes of the eight-year-old mare, who has inspired generations of Japanese battling to stay afloat in the throes of economic doldrums.

The legend lived on Monday as the chestnut thoroughbred, wearing her trademark pink hood, slowly faded away from the middle of the pack over rain-soaked dirt in the 1300 metre race.

She finished 10th in a field of 11 at the racecourse in Kochi, some 600 kilometres southwest of Tokyo, to the roar of a record crowd of 13,000 people who had travelled from all over the country to see her.

Around 400 representatives of 80 media organisations were among those in attendance, hoping for a miracle moment which never came.

http://www.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,9049692%255E13762,00.html

[GOPisEvil]

1. Bring on Zippy Chippy!

Didn't he lose a ton of races in a row, too?

[ClintonTyree]

2. Yeah............

but nowhere near as many as this horse. I think Zippy has lost 80 or so. I saw Zippy Chippy race a minor league baseball player in Rochester, NY. Zippy lost. It was a huge promotion by the Rochester Red Wings (then Baltimore's AAA farm club). Everyone was rooting to Zippy, but it wasn't even close.