Uma Musume: Pretty Derby: How To Get A-Rank Trainees

Preparing your trainees for the URA Finals and other top-tier competitions in Uma Musume: Pretty Derby can feel overwhelming, especially if you’re just starting out with a deck full of low-level support cards. On top of that, managing energy becomes another obstacle in your training routine. However, with smart planning, it’s very possible to get your horse girl’s attributes into A ranks without being heavily reliant on SSR cards.

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Prioritize Friendship Over Stats

At the beginning of the game, your trainee almost always secures victory in the first debut race, while the stat gains from training are relatively minor. What really matters early on is building up your friendship gauge with support characters until it reaches orange. Doing so unlocks Friendship Training, which provides a huge boost whenever the support character shows up in the correct training slot.

For instance, take the Special Week welfare SSR support card, which focuses on Speed. If you slot this card into your deck, Special Week will frequently appear during training. Once her friendship is maxed out, placing her on Speed training will dramatically increase the Speed points you gain. By the later goals of your run, this effect can raise stats to very high levels. You’ll recognize this when the training button glows with a rainbow effect.

Level Up Your Support Cards

In Uma Musume: Pretty Derby, your support cards are far more important than the horse you’re raising. These cards dictate your training’s pace and efficiency. The higher their levels, the sooner they trigger friendship bonuses, the better their stat boosts, and the more often you’ll see helpful events and skill hints. For the Global release, the best strategy is to prioritize leveling up Speed-oriented cards first, since they can snowball your progression into later stages of your career path.

Rest Only When Necessary

While resting restores a large chunk of stamina, it’s not always the most efficient option. There are other ways to recover energy throughout your training cycle. Consider these alternatives before choosing to Rest:

• Training Wit restores some energy.
• Selecting event dialogue options that replenish stamina.
• Using Recreation when your trainee’s mood dips low.

Only pick the Rest option when the risk of failure during training exceeds 30–40%. This way, you’ll make the most effective use of your turns without wasting opportunities for stat gains.

Stat Thresholds

Reaching an official A-rank with your trainee requires their combined attributes and skills to total at least 10,000 points. Attributes contribute directly, but skills also play a crucial role in pushing the overall score. To maximize points, your trainee should acquire skills aligned with their best track, distance, and racing style aptitudes. For example, a horse girl with an A-rank aptitude for Front Running should have skills like Front Runner Straightaways or Corners to enhance their final score and secure that A-rank threshold.