The Sport of Kings, and Liars

"Gentlemen, this will be a fair race. No shooting, stabbing, cliff-pushing, rock-throwing, cactus-grinding, neck-lassoing, setting fires, or other acts that causes a rider to unfairly lose his way, nor bleed heavily or black out. Get yourselves ready. Ready! Set! Go!"

- Race Announcer

 is a mission in Red Dead Redemption.

Story
Mr. West Dickens persuades John to follow him to Rathskeller Fork to use John's riding skills to win a race. He'll use the money John earns from winning to "outfit" his stagecoach for the assault on Fort Mercer.

Mission Prerequisites
Before this mission becomes available, the player must complete:
 * Nigel West Dickens mission: "Can a Swindler Change His Spots?"

Mission Objectives
To complete this mission, the player must:
 * Follow Nigel West Dickens to Rathskeller Fork.
 * Ride to the start position and enter the horse race.
 * Win the race.

Mission Description
Meet Nigel West Dickens in Cueva Seca, and he will inform you that he will be ready to take on Bill Williamson, however he requires more money. He will drive you to a race with seven other contestants, in Rathskeller Fork, of which he has placed a wager on. It is a long and difficult race, and the other competitors will attempt to push you off the course, so come prepared with five horse pills. You must come in first place and if not you will fail the mission.

Mission Failure
The mission will fail if the player:
 * Assaults, kills or abandons Nigel West Dickens
 * Kills the horses pulling Nigel's wagon
 * Assaults or kills any racing opponents
 * Kills any racing horse (including his own)
 * Assaults or kills any spectators
 * Does not win the race
 * Breaks the law
 * Kills a dog
 * Commits vandalism
 * Assaults or kills townsfolk
 * Dies

Mission Complete Unlockables

 * "Lights, Camera, Action" Part 1 Stranger side-mission

Tips and Tricks

 * Try to spur your horse just to keep it on maximal speed. Don't overdo it since that will most of the time result into getting bucked off.
 * Stock up on horse pills and apples prior to the mission and use these to keep the boost for a longer time.
 * Keep on the road: When the player keeps its horse on the various roads and trails, the horse will achieve a much higher base speed. The color of the horse's stamina meter (left side of radar) changes when on roads as an indicator.
 * At the very end of the race, where you can see the finish marker, you can run up the hill and cut off the others. It works very well.
 * If your honor is really low and you have the Dark Horse, it can barely catch up to the others, so it's best to lasso a wild horse on the way to the race or before entering the race.

Trivia

 * Interestingly, apart from the three racing missions given to the player during the story ("Obstacles in Our Path", "Liars, Cheats and Other Proud Americans", "The Sport of Kings, and Liars"), the opportunity to race never presents itself again in single player. However, racing is available in the Grand Prix multiplayer game mode as part of the Liars and Cheats DLC.
 * One of the horse racers is Charlie Mash, a member of the Bollard Twins Gang. Interestingly, the player cannot harm him in any way. If he is shot during the race, it does not count as a Bollard kill and the mission is failed.
 * The title of the mission refers to the fact that horse racing has long been called "The sport of kings," a phrase originating in the British nobility's enjoyment of the sport.
 * There is a glitch that can be done just before the start of the race. If Marston enters the area where the other riders are waiting on foot, and points a gun at one of them, he may cause them to walk away and leave their horse behind. If the player then walks up to the side of the abandoned horse and presses the 'Climb Up' button, Marston will go through an animation of holding the horse's reigns and petting it with his hand, in a similar fashion to what the other NPC racers are doing. This can be repeated multiple times.
 * The Race Announcer uses the same character model as Clay Pettiford.
 * When you are riding to Rathskeller Fork,  Dickens will say "This could be a permanent partnership" to John, this is also what Irish said in the mission On Shaky's Ground.

Video Walkthrough
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