Umamusume: Pretty Derby (Credits: Cygames)
Horse racing and cosplay are colliding in Arcadia, California this weekend. Cosplay Trackside, an Umamusume-themed cosplay meetup, returns to Santa Anita Park on October 24 and 25 from 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., giving fans a full weekend of racing, music and costumes at the historic track.
The event lines up with Santa Anita Park’s Japan Family Day, which celebrates the racecourse’s partnership with Japan’s Oi Racetrack. The lineup includes live DJ sets and cosplay performances, vendors, an artists’ and merchants’ alley, and live horse racing. Cosplaying is encouraged, though full face masks are not allowed.
What to Expect at Cosplay Trackside Santa Anita Park
Each day, the first 1,000 attendees will receive an official Umamusume: Pretty Derby x Santa Anita Park pin featuring Special Week. Life-size display cutouts of Special Week and Cesario will stand in the Fountain Area near the Gate 8 main entrance, ready for photos.
The game guide site Uma.guide is also getting in on the fun: contest winners will take home 1/7-scale Sakura Chiyono O and Tokai Teio figures courtesy of Kotobukiya, giving cosplayers a real prize to chase between races.
Tickets and the Japanese Eats Start Pack
General admission tickets cost $10 on the Santa Anita Park website. For fans who want the full experience, the “Japanese Eats Start Pack” runs $43.84 and bundles admission with a betting tip sheet, a commemorative gift, a $15 food voucher, and a sake-based cocktail.
The first Cosplay Trackside took place on May 16, and Anime Corner interviewed one of its organizers. Umamusume: Pretty Derby is a Cygames IP built around anthropomorphic versions of real-world racehorses — it began as a mobile game and has since expanded into manga, TV anime series, OVAs, a theatrical film and more. Since the global version of the mobile game launched, track-endorsed cosplay races and fan events like this one have been popping up all over the world.
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Source: Anime Corner — read the full story there.
