I’m never going to not remain critical about the gambling aspect of horse racing, but I can still respect the efforts of the jockeys and trainers, which I think Umausume has successfully conveyed to audiences. Congratulations Yuichi Kitamura!

Since the tracks are used multiple times during the day, it’s neat to see the workers going in to literally patch things up - replacing grass plots in spots that have been kicked up, and for dirt tracks tractors smoothing them out.

This doesn’t happen with every jockey, just the more popular or famous ones. It’s still a neat demonstration of fan service, as it also lets fans express their appreciation up close.