Umamusume: Pretty Derby Career Mode Guide for Beginners

Welcome to the ultimate training ground for aspiring Umamusume trainers! If you've ever wondered how to transform a promising horse girl into a champion racer, you're in the right place. Career Mode forms the heart of Umamusume's gameplay, where strategic training, careful resource management, and smart decision-making determine whether your Umamusume reaches the winner's circle or falls short of glory.

Umamusume Career Mode 

Career Mode is where you craft the foundation of your entire Umamusume experience. Unlike traditional gacha games where you immediately use new characters, here you must guide each horse girl through a complete training regimen before she can compete in competetive game modes likeTeam Trials or Daily Races.

Every Career run spans approximately 70 turns across three years of in-game career mode time, during which you'll make countless decisions that shape your Umamusume's final stats, skills, and racing potential. The character version you create becomes a Veteran that can participate in other game modes or serve as Legacy inspiration for future trainees.

Umamusume: Pretty Derby Home Screen

Starting Career Mode

Choosing Your Trainee

When you enter Career Mode, your journey begins by selecting which uma musume to train. This choice sets the tone for your entire run, so it’s worth understanding what makes each uma unique.

Every uma musume comes with her own set of base stats, Speed, Stamina, Power, Guts, and Intelligence, which determine how she performs during races and how well she handles different strategies. Some characters might naturally excel in Speed and Intelligence, making them ideal for front-running tactics, while others lean into Power and Stamina, better suited for late-game comebacks or long-distance endurance races.

Beyond raw stats, each uma also has Distance Aptitudes—ratings from G (lowest) to A or S (highest) that reflect how comfortable they are on various track lengths. For example, a sprinter-type uma like Sakura Bakushin O excels at short-distance races but would struggle in long-range G1 marathons. Meanwhile, a balanced runner like Mejiro McQueen thrives in longer races due to her stamina and pacing.

Additionally, umamusume are ranked by Star Rarity and Growth Rates, which influence how quickly their stats improve during training. A higher star character generally has more growth potential and access to better skills. However, rarity isn’t everything, some lower-star uma can outperform their higher-ranked counterparts with the right support setup and training path.

Setting Up Legacy Support

Before training officially begins, you’ll need to pick two Legacy (Umamusume that already finished their careers) Umamusume. These act as mentors, passing down key traits to your trainee, like stat bonuses, racing aptitude boosts, and useful skill hints. Think of it as a way to build your trainee’s genetic potential. If you don’t have many strong Legacies of your own yet, you can borrow one from your follow list. You’re allowed to use guest Legacy Umamusume up to three times per day, so make the most out of it by picking high-level ones with powerful Sparks and well-rounded stats.

Support Card Configuration

Support cards are just as important as the uma musume you choose to train. Your six-card deck directly affects how much your trainee improves in each stat during training sessions. Each support card specializes in one area and can show up during drills to give bonus stat gains, unlock skill hints, or trigger unique events that boost progress. As your bond with them grows, they can even trigger powerful "Friend Training" sessions for major gains.

Building the right support deck depends on your uma’s racing style and preferred distance. Sprinters need Speed and Power cards, while long-distance runners benefit more from Stamina and Guts. Mixing in Intelligence or Support cards can help with skill learning and consistency. Like your uma musume, support cards are obtained from the Scout (gacha) menu, so managing your pulls and leveling your best cards is key to dominating races and maxing out stat potential.

Umamusume: Pretty Derby Support Cards

Recommended Training Strategies 

Phase 1: Friendship Building (Turns 1-20)

Your opening priority involves maximizing friendship gauges with support cards. When training in facilities containing support characters, their friendship increases by +7 (or +9 with Charming status). Cards showing exclamation marks provide additional +5 friendship plus valuable skill hints.

Wit training becomes invaluable during this phase since it consumes no energy while building friendships, allowing more training sessions per rest cycle.

Phase 2: Rainbow Training Domination (Turns 21-50)

Once support cards reach orange friendship (80 points), they unlock rainbow training - powerful stat bonuses that stack when multiple supports appear in their preferred facilities. Always prioritize rainbow training opportunities over standard training.

Phase 3: Goal Achievement (Turns 51-70)

Focus intensively on meeting career objectives while maintaining stat growth. Optional races become crucial during this phase, providing skill points and fan count progress toward goals.

Umamusume: Pretty Derby Training 

Which Stats Matter Most for Each Strategy?

Understanding stat priorities prevents wasted training turns:

Umamusume: Pretty Derby Uma Stats 

Speed determines maximum velocity and affects all racing strategies. Every build requires substantial speed investment.

Stamina functions as your race "health bar." Insufficient stamina causes dramatic speed drops during races. Long-distance runners need 800+ stamina, while sprinters can succeed with 300-400.

Power governs acceleration and uphill performance. Essential for Front Runners and Pace Chasers who need quick positioning.

Guts reduces stamina consumption and provides late-race resilience. Often overlooked but valuable for stamina-efficient builds.

Wit influences skill activation rates and provides energy during training. Critical for skill-dependent strategies.

How Skills Affect Race Outcome

Skills provide the edge between victory and defeat. Each Umamusume starts with unique skills, but you'll purchase most abilities using skill points earned from races and training events.

Umamusume: Pretty Derby Uma Skills 

Skill Acquisition Strategy

Focus on skills matching your Umamusume's racing distance and strategy. Sprint-focused skills won't help a long-distance runner, and Front Runner abilities provide no benefit to End Closers. Hint events from support cards offer discounted skill purchases, always train with supports showing exclamation marks to maximize these opportunities.

Essential Skill Categories

• Recovery skills: Restore stamina mid-race
• Acceleration skills: Improve positioning
• Speed skills: Boost maximum velocity
• Strategy-specific skills: Enhance your racing style

Racing Strategies for Different Characters

Your Umamusume's natural aptitudes determine her optimal racing strategy:

Umamusume: Pretty Derby Characters 

Front Runners lead from the start, requiring high speed and power to maintain position. Best for aggressive players who enjoy controlling race pace.

Pace Chasers stay near the front pack, balancing position with energy conservation. Versatile strategy suitable for most distances.

Late Surgers hang back initially before making calculated moves. Requires excellent timing and stamina management.

End Closers save energy for explosive final sprints. High-risk, high-reward strategy demanding precise stat balance.

Career Mode Tips and Tricks 

Energy Management

Training consumes energy, with failure rates increasing as energy drops. Rest when energy falls below 50 to avoid training failures that waste turns and worsen mood.

Mood Optimization

Maintain Great mood whenever possible through recreational outings. Higher mood provides training bonuses and improves race performance. Use the shrine, karaoke, or walks to boost mood when it drops to Normal or below.

Status Effect Recovery

Negative status effects hamper training and racing. Visit the infirmary when afflicted, though success isn't guaranteed. Sometimes continuing training proves more efficient than spending turns on uncertain healing.

Pro Tip: Pal-type support cards like Tazuna offer superior recreational events with better rewards than standard outings.

Optional Races

Optional races provide skill points, fan count progress, and stat bonuses while consuming energy. Race when:

• Training facilities lack support cards
• You need skill points for important purchases
• Fan count goals require progress
• G1 races are available (premium rewards)

Avoid racing when rainbow training opportunities exist or when low energy risks poor performance.

From Rookie to Derby Champ

And with that, you’re all set to dive into the world of Umamusume: Pretty Derby. Whether you’re here for the thrill of the race, the deep training strategy, the surprisingly accurate real-horse lore, or just rolling gacha for your best girl, there’s a spot for every kind of player.

Want the chaos of a Gold Ship run where you might win it all or finish dead last? Go for it. Want to take the underdog Haru Urara and turn her into a legend? That’s fair game too. This is a world where every horse girl has her story, and you’re the one helping her write the next chapter. So scout your faves, train them up, and chase those G1 wins like a true champion