Talmberg Horse Race

Talmberg Horse Race
Description
Quest Giver	Divish of Talmberg
Suggested items	Fast horse
Type	Side Quest
← Quest	The Sport of Kings
Enemies	None
Skill Checks	None
Reward	Knightrider

Talmberg Horse Race is a side quest in Kingdom Come: Deliverance. During The Sport of Kings, Henry will arrange a horse race at Talmberg to show the quality of the Neuhof horses.

Synopsis

The glorious Talmberg Ribbon Race.

Objectives

• Pick up the ribbon by the dead tree in Uzhitz.
  • Pick up the ribbon by the mill in Merhojed
    • Pick up the ribbon by the quarry in Talmberg
      • Go back to the start

Walkthrough

At midday during The Sport of Kings, Henry should be waiting outside Talmberg on Zora's dappled grey, for the chance to prove to Sir Divish that the Neuhof horses are still the finest horses around.

First, position yourself as far along the road as possible while still being at the checkpoint to give yourself a head start. You will need to ride to Uzhitz, where the ribbon is on the gate just outside the church, then to the mill east of Merhojed, then back up north the the Talmberg quarry. You don't need to stop or get off to grab the ribbon, so ride to the checkpoint as fast as you can, then move on to the next.

It's best to ignore the roads and try to take the most direct route, as the other riders are at least as fast as you, but will stick to the paths. Allow your horse a few second pause as you turn to change direction after each ribbon, to catch his breath, and you shouldn't run out of stamina on the main stretch.

Competing in the Talmberg horse race

Don't attempt to fast travel. It results in a fail. Also, if you're not mounted on the dappled grey at precisely noon, you'll be eliminated, and a furious Divish won't care to hear your excuses.

Tempting as it may be if Henry is a bit of a thug, don't try and unhorse the other riders, or brandish your weapon - at least not in front of the guards. The penalty is a whopping 1000 .

If you return before dawn, you can unhorse the competitors with less risk of being caught, mount their horses, and ride them out of the quest area. This will be marked on your compass as the location you must mount Zora's Dappled Grey, and as it turns out, the other riders must also be standing here to be eligible for the race. Another less risky way that works from dawn to noon is to push the other horses out of the quest area. This may be done by cantering at them with your own horse - while the other riders will still mount them once it's time for the race (if their horses are still close by), they will not attempt to return to the quest area. Regardless of which method you use, Divish will be furious that no one else showed up, and you'll pass The Sport of Kings but fail the Talmberg Horse Race.

Tips for Winning

• Wearing decent Spurs improves your Horsemanship and vastly improves your performance during this quest.
• Drinking an Aesop potion boosts your Horsemanship for 10 minutes, long enough to finish the quest.
• Do not be discouraged if the racers are taking the lead at the beginning, they still have to eventually slow down their horses so they may regain stamina, and they will, at the start, make a full dash to Uzhitz without ever slowing down, but during the track to Merhojed and henceforth, they will in fact be forced to trot.

A sure fire way to winning is to actually take only two shortcuts:

1. From the path of Merhojed to the quarry, all racers will go back to the village side and then cross the river there to go to the quarry. You, instead can go off the path, and immediately turn left on the crossroads and follow the marker, and cross the shallow part of the river. This shortcut will give a massive lead on all other Racers.
2. From the quarry to the finish line, you need only take the path uphill to the castle, it will be evident and will be the final nail in the coffin for all other racers.

Notes

• Curiously, you don't even need to ride the dappled grey. If your horse is faster, mount that one prior to the race starting and then take off. As long as you get back on the dappled grey at the end, you'll be fine. In fact, you can even position the other horse behind you so the other racers are delayed slightly.
• Since the shortcut to the quarry is deciding the race in your favour anyway, it is advisable to hang back a bit on the way to Uzhitz. Trying to overtake on the narrow forest path will prompt the other riders to bump into you, which massively depletes the stamina of your horse. It is easier to overtake them one after the other on the way to Merhojed where you have a bit more space to avoid their bumping attacks.
• Quite a cheesy way to complete the race is: If you complete Cherchez la Femme when you have to meet up for the race at noon, the race will be completed automatically. Speaking to Sir Divish he will tell you no one met for the race, so the victory was forfeited to you and he will continue buying horses from Zora. (The other riders probably figured best not to cross Henry:)