KUALA LUMPUR, Aug. 23 -- Malaysia's last premier racecourse Selangor Turf Club (STC) as well as the local horse racing scene experienced a surge in popularity, all thanks to a Japanese video game centred around anime horse girls.

Thesecharacters are named after and modeled on actual Japanese racehorses, meticulously reflecting their namesakes' personalities, racing records and relationships with other racehorses (who are also horse girls themselves).

Following its worldwide English-language edition mobile and PC launch in June, Umamusume: Pretty Derby has since garnered overwhelming responses from players alike, particularly those outside of Japan.

In Southeast Asia, countries such as Thailand and Indonesia have seen a surge in horse r...