Royal Hope continues to fall just short of victory, but the number of fans cheering for him steadily grows. However, Kurisu (Satoshi Tsumabuki) is shocked when Kozo (Koichi Sato) informs him that after the 2017 Arima Kinen, both he and Royal Hope will retire following next year’s Arima Kinen.

This decision had already been announced during a family meeting, where Kozo abruptly named Yutaro (Kotaro Koizumi) as the next company president—leaving Yutaro equally bewildered.

On top of that, after Kozo confesses something further, Kurisu suddenly finds himself heading out to meet Kozo’s secret son, Koichi (Ren Meguro)… And on the day of the Arima Kinen, the race begins in the pouring rain!