Although darkness had already fallen, Nakayama Racecourse was still doing all right.
The cold wind had failed to drive the fans home.
Naturally, they had to turn out for Golden Masterpiece's Retirement Ceremony. Otherwise, fans of other racehorses might think Golden Masterpiece wasn't very popular.
Neigh-
After resting for a few dozen minutes, Golden Masterpiece was brought out, and Kenichi Ikezoe was ready as well.
The Retirement Ceremony was actually much like the procession before a race.
Only this time, Golden Masterpiece was the sole star.
The spectators at the racecourse were all waiting for him.
"We'll head out first, then."
Kenichi Ikezoe glanced around, then had Golden Masterpiece follow the lead horse ahead.
Since he had ridden Golden Masterpiece in his final race, he would ride him in the Retirement Ceremony too, though he mostly felt that Koichi Sasaki was being a little too lazy.
"Yeah."
Koichi waved, then took his agent with him to find Ayano Aoe.
As Golden Masterpiece stepped onto the track again, cheers rang out across the racecourse once more.
Over these three years, Golden Masterpiece had given them countless spectacular races and performances.
Unfortunately, all good things had to come to an end. The time had finally come for Golden Masterpiece to retire. Though he could certainly keep racing, retiring now was undoubtedly the right choice.
As Golden Masterpiece entered, the big screen began playing highlights of his career.
These were all his moments of glory.
He had performed quite well at two, then claimed the Triple Crown and the Arima Kinen at three. At four, he had won another three Grade 1 races, including the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe they had all dreamed of.
The only regret was his loss in this year's Tenno Sho.
Watching the montage of his finishing sprints