The Nice Nature Memorial Donation is a month-long yearly campaign that solicits monetary donations to support retired racehorses. Titled after the Japanese thoroughbred of the same name, the campaign was able to solicit over $1.8 million USD in the course of ten years, and a big part of it seems to be thanks to the horse’s appearance in several works belonging to the Umamusume: Pretty Derby franchise.
Initially called the “Nice Nature Birthday Donation”, the fund was established on April 16, 2017, in honor of Nice Nature’s 29th birthday. While total donations over the next four years were steady, they increased dramatically from 1.08 million JPY (roughly $11k USD) in 2020 to 35.8 million JPY ($225k USD) in 2021. This coincides with the Japanese launch of Umamusume: Pretty Derby on February 24, 2021. Though Nice Nature passed away on May 30, 2023, at the age of 35, the campaign was renamed and continues to live on.
This year’s Nice Nature Memorial Donation solicited more than 48 million JPY ($302k USD) – 195% of the initial goal – in just over a month. Retired Racehorses Association representative director Kyoko Numata stated on the campaign’s official webpage that there was a “tremendous response” from international supporters thanks to the 2025 global release of Umamusume: Pretty Derby.
With the donations, the association will be able to take in and foster more retired racehorses. More foster parent members (i.e., racehorse caregivers) will also be recruited to provide individual assistance to each horse.
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