It was the weekend at Nakayama Racecourse.
With Christmas just around the corner, Nakayama Racecourse had finished dressing up for the occasion.
For jockeys like Koichi, though, it was business as usual.
They still had to face whatever came their way.
Before the races, Koichi had also used up the ten Lucky Draw chances he had earned from the Japan Cup.
Overall, his luck remained about the same. He had not drawn any skills, and most of his prizes were Track Cards and food.
Skills were still something he could only stumble upon, not count on finding.
He had used all his Track Cards on Nakayama Racecourse.
That was the only boost he could give himself.
Although he had won the race last year, he was riding a different horse this time. With the boost from the Track Cards, his understanding of Nakayama Racecourse was now even more detailed.
The authorities had also finished preparing for Golden Masterpiece's Retirement Ceremony.
As a result, the racecourse was packed that weekend. Many spectators who usually watched on television or online had come in person.
Most had missed the earlier races because they could not make it there. The upcoming Arima Kinen meant a great deal to them, so they were doing everything they could to watch Golden Masterpiece run the final race of his career in person.
Merchandise for Golden Masterpiece and Gold Ship was also selling extremely well over those two days.
The two of them occupied the most prominent spots on the posters, followed by Dominant Position and Eishin Flash.
Sunday's event had brought a much larger crowd to Saturday's races as well.
Since they had made the trip, they might as well watch both days of racing.
Koichi had gotten himself into form, too, and displayed considerable ability on