Horse Races

Horse Races are another new type of quest in the game that start in Velen. To simplify keeping track of them we have organized them by region below.

In addition to providing a new and fun task in the game, the Horse Races also have an Achievement / Trophy that is associated with them: Fast and Furious (15g) Win all the horse races in the game.

Why bother with Horse Races? After all you are a Witcher! Your raison d'être is killing monsters! Well, there are two very good reasons for bothering with Horse Racing.

1. Winning Horse Races not only pays off in a small amount of XP (usually 25XP) and a small amount of Coin (usually between 20 and 40 Crowns) but can also BET on your racing. Which means you can up that paltry 20 to 40 Coins to an additional 100+ Coins and how about that?

2. While XP and Coin are nice, the best reason for winning the Horse Races is down to the bonus prizes - which in this case is either a new Saddle or a new Saddlebag and new Horse Blinders.

The deciding factor on if that is a good thing or not will come down to how well you have explored the lands. If you found the merchant selling Enhanced Saddles (+25 Stamina) than perhaps not. There is also a merchant selling the Rugged Saddlebags (+70 Maximum Inventory Weight) and Horse Blinders (+20 Horse's Fear).

While the first races you experience are pretty simple even easy to win, once you reach the Skellige Isles that changes. Oh, you can get through the first ones easily, but the race for the Regional Champion is a different story.

For that one luck is just as important as skill, we are sad to say. And the reason that it makes us sad is that it only takes one running of THAT race to realize that it is another Pete. A race you are not intended to win the first half-dozen times you run it.

Yes, it is a repeater - its purpose both to challenge and to add to the time and effort that it takes to win. That said, bear in mind that this is not a skill-based challenge, but one that requires luck as well. Primarily due to the way that your horse will shy at the bridge and elsewhere.

Ultimately even with the best saddle and blinders, winning this requires a lot of luck...

We bring all that up so that we can tell you this very important point: do NOT allow this challenge to irritate you. Do not allow it to **** you off. Try to win, and maybe try again, but also try not to beat your head against the metaphorical wall that it represents.

When you reach the point where it is frustrating you? Walk away. Return another time.

Horse Races: Velen

To make this guide easier to use we break the races up by region. The following are the races you will find in Velen. Bear in mind that you do not unlock Horse Races until you gain access to the Notice Board in the Keep of the Bloody Baron...

Races: Crow's Perch

Win the Horse Race

Flagged via the Notice Board inCrow's Perch - which is the Bloody Baron's Keep - Suggested Level None

There was no much in the way of entertainment at Crow's Perch, so the baron's men were always looking for new ways to pass the time. Once of their favorites - horse racing at night and the chance for friendly (and not so-friendly) betting that went along with it.

Though the Witcher had plenty of other things to occupy his time, he decided he could spare a few moments to take part in these races.

There are three races to complete in Velen, each of which use the same basic route, which begins to the west of Crow's Perch (and east of the village of Blackbough) where the highways merge.

The prizes for the Velen Horse Races - in addition to the Crowns and XP - are the Racing Saddle (+40 Stamina) and regular Saddlebags (+30 Maximum Inventory Weight), and for the third race you win standard Horse Blinders (+20 Horse's Fear Level).

Objectives

• Go to the race's starting line

• Race Stuttering Mako

• Race Iron-Arse Hans

• Race Black Bogdan

Horse Races: Novigrad

To make this guide easier to use we break the races up by region. The following are the races you will find in Novigrad. Bear in mind that you do not unlock Horse Races until you gain access to the Notice Board in the Keep of the Bloody Baron...

Race: The Great Erasmus Vegelbud Memorial Derby

Win the race

Flagged at the Vegelbud Estate - Suggested Level: None

The Vegelbud family's out-of-town estate was famed not only for its lovely guardians and sumptuous banquets, but also for the series of horse races organized there in honor of one of the line's illustrious ancestors, Erasmus. Geralt decided to test his mettle in this derby - lured, perhaps, by the sizable reward promised to the victor.

After the third race you get approached by one of Cleaver's thugs and handed a letter...

You talk to the Cleaver and agree to race the race so he can bet on you - just win it, right? And that completes this quest!

Objectives

• Talk to the master of ceremonies to begin the race

• Beat the first rider

• Beat the second rider

• Beat Luc Vegelbud

• Read hte letter you received

• Talk to Cleaver about the letter

• Be the first past the finish line

Horse Races: Skellige Isles

To make this guide easier to use we break the races up by region. The following are the races you will find in Skellige Isles. Bear in mind that you do not unlock Horse Races until you gain access to the Notice Board in the Keep of the Bloody Baron...

This set of races takes you from place to place as you run through the elimination races - so that you can get to the championship race. But once you do reach that point, you are racing against a skilled woman racer who gets a serious edge over you.

So when you set out to win that one, you should do it with the following advice:

1. Get the best saddle you can get. there are a number of saddles you will win, but the very minimum one you should use for this race is the Superior Calvary Saddle. It offers you 70 Stamina, which while it is NOT sufficient to allow you to go at top speed through the entire final race it WILL allow you to stay ahead of the opponent where you must.

And as long as you time it right and get in front of your opponent at the bridge you can canter across the bridge blocking your opponent from getting ahead while at the same time recovering stamina for your mount.

2. Get the best blinder you can: Horse Blinders prevent your horse from being startled by things in the world. One of the better ones - and the one you should consider the minimum for this race - is the Zerrikanian Blinders, which offer 60 Horse's Fear Level.

With those two factors managed all that remains is for you to learn the track and then learn where you can block your opponent by getting in front of her, thus allowing you to recover stamina for your mount.