The Sport of Kings
The Sport of Kings is a side quest in Kingdom Come: Deliverance. Andrew at the Inn in the Glade has heard a rumour that Zora is struggling to restore the stud farm at Neuhof to its former glory.
This quest is intertwined with the Talmberg Horse Race.
Synopsis
The Lord of Talmberg has stopped buying his horses from the Neuhof stud farm. Coming in the wake of the recent brutal raid on the farm, during which several horses were slaughtered, this is a severe blow for Widow Zora, who lost her husband, Smil the chief groom, in the attack and is struggling to keep the stud running. She has asked me if I would put in a word for her with Sir Divish of Talmberg.
Objectives
- Saddle Zora's dappled grey
- Bring the dappled grey horse to the Talmberg stables
- Get back on Zora's dappled grey
- Talk to Sir Divish about the race
- Talk to the stablemaster
- Go to the Talmberg gate at noon tomorrow on Zora's dappled grey
- (Optional) Wait for sir Divish and the other riders
- Win the race!
- Speak to Divish
- Tell Zora how the race ended.
- (Optional) Bring Zora's horse back.
- Speak to Divish
Walkthrough
In Neuhof, Zora complains to Henry about how difficult it has been to rebuild after the attack on Neuhof, when her husband Smil was murdered and some of their finest horses slaughtered. Once, Sir Divish of Talmberg was their top buyer, but since the attack he has not purchased a single steed. She asks Henry to take their fastest horse, a dappled grey, to Talmberg, and speak to Sir Divish. Henry suggests that a horse race might demonstrate to his lordship that the Neuhof horses are still the best around.
Mount the grey horse that is in the Neuhof courtyard, and ride to Talmberg. Take the horse to the stables and then go to speak to Sir Divish, who tells Henry that he now purchases his horses from the Head Groom in Uzhitz. He feels that a woman, even one as tough as Zora, is not cut out to be a stablemaster. Henry will have to convince Sir Divish to hold a horse race - if you are skilled in horsemanship, you can use this to your advantage.
Divish's Stats
|
|
|
Skill |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 12 | 16 |
Go down to the courtyard and speak to the stablemaster, who will agree to organize the race, and seems sympathetic to Zora's plight. He explains to Henry that the race involves retrieving some ribbons tied to poles, in a certain order, and then returning back to Talmberg. He will need some time to set up the race, so he asks you to return the following day at noon on Zora's prize horse. At midday, the side quest Talmberg Horse Race will begin. Follow the instructions associated with that quest to find the ribbons.
If you lose the race, Divish will continue to buy his horses from Uzhitz, but will agree to try and help Zora out. If you fail to show up, he wont be as understanding. Zora will be disappointed but thank you for trying, and you won't get your reward.
However, that's not going to happen because you're a winner! After you leave those losers in the dust, ride the dappled grey back to Neuhof and tell Zora the good news - and learn that Henry has a really horrible sense of humour. Zora will be overjoyed, and reward you with 250 
and the best saddle available.
If you'd rather skip the race all together, when you arrive to the starting spot to begin the race, if the race doesn't begin automatically, you can instead use your horse to push the other competitors out of the quest circle. When you have pushed all four out, wait one hour, and Sir Divish, rather blindly, will announce that since you're the only one that turned up for the race, the race is cancelled and you're declared the winner.
If pushing the horses out of the circle proves too much of a hassle, shoot one of the racers or their horses (from behind so you don’t get caught and can run away). They will disperse and lead to the Talmberg race quest failing. However, you will still win the race (as no racers turn up) and can speak to Sir Divish after paying the rather large fine or running away without being spotted and caught. The quest ledger will be bugged: after returning to the race start point, the ledger will show both “speak to Sir Divish” and “wait for Sir Divish” at the same time.
It is possible to start the race and pick up all the ribbons with your own horse, though you can't finish the race with it. You can however switch to Zora's dappled grey at the end of the race and complete it.