Plucky Racehorse Preserves Losing Streak (106 in a row..)

[emad]

TOKYO (Reuters) - A Japanese racehorse that has won hearts with her pluck in the face of a string of defeats missed her best chance to become Japan's own Seabiscuit on Monday, when even Japan's most respected jockey failed to ride her to victory.

Haru-urara, a runty chestnut whose name means "Gentle Spring," racked up her 106th loss at the Kochi Race Course southwest of Tokyo, where a record 13,000 people gathered to see if jockey Yutaka Take could break her losing streak.



Japanese news agencies flashed the result and TV news shows ran footage of the skittish thoroughbred -- wearing her trademark pink "Hello Kitty" hood -- slogging through the mud to come in 10th in a field of 11. "All the fans seem to be going home happy," said a reporter covering the race from Kochi for Asahi TV."They feel that it was OK for her to lose." Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said rooting for a loser like Haru-urara wasn't always a bad thing. "It was a pity...but I think it's good occasionally to have people cheer you on regardless of whether you win or lose," Koizumi told reporters when asked about her latest setback.

More: http://reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=oddlyEnoughNews&storyID=4634581