Horse racing has long been a big part of the Legend of Zelda series, so it’s no surprise that it’s also a major aspect of the latest title, Echoes of Wisdom.

Zelda can ride horses relatively early on, but you’ll have to wait a while before she can ride her very own white horse. When she can, however, she can enter the Flag Race time trials at Hyrule Ranch.

These time trials are trickier than you might think, but with our guide on how to beat each of the Flag Race courses, you’ll be reaping the rewards in no time.

How to unlock the Flag Races

You’ll find the Flag Race at Hyrule Ranch, which is in the southern part of Hyrule Field. To get there, just follow the path west from Suthorn Prairie, or head southwest from Hyrule Castle Town.

To unlock the Flag Races, you need to have unlocked the ability to ride Zelda’s white horse. Getting this beautiful steed means you need to have reached at least the halfway point of the story — which means saving Hyrule Castle Town, completing Hyrule Castle dungeon, and getting the Lands of the Goddesses Main Quest.

On top of that, you also need to complete the Runaway Horse Side Quest, which you’ll find at Hyrule Ranch. Then you need to complete the Impa’s Gift Side Quest, which you get after completing Hyrule Castle.

Once you’ve ticked everything off, you can enter the Flag Race at Hyrule Ranch by speaking to the stable hand wearing the carrot-shaped hairpin while riding your white horse. You cannot enter the flag race with any other horse. Use your Carrot Echo to summon your horse if you leave it somewhere.

It costs 10 rupees a go to enter each race — nice and cheap, then!

All Flag Race rewards

There are three different courses to tackle on horseback — the Short Course, MIddle Course, and Long Course — and all three of them have different rewards depending on how fast you clear the course.

Every course has a record that you need to beat to at least get one prize, but if you beat the “Quick” time, then you’ll get an additional, even better reward.

We’ve got a list of all the rewards below for you. Any rewards listed in (parenthesis) are given as a subsequent reward after getting the standard completion time.

Flag Race Tips & Tricks

Getting the standard time on each of the Flag Race courses shouldn’t be too difficult, but some of those “Quick” times can pose a challenge. We’ve got some handy tips to ensure that you become a horse racing master.

The courses will be littered with Decorative Shrubs and Wooden Boxes. Zelda’s horse will automatically jump over the boxes as it approaches them, but you will have to move out of the way of the trees to avoid hitting them.

One thing to remember is that you can use Tri’s Bind skill while you’re on horseback. It might take some practice, but you can easily grind rupees in Hyrule Field by equipping the Silver Brooch or Gold Brooch and cutting down some grass.

Short Course

Getting under 23 seconds is pretty easy here. The course simply circles the ranch itself, so you should be familiar with the shape, you’ll just have obstacles to deal with Luckily, you get a preview of the course before you go galloping off.

Anyway, the key here is do not charge when you hit a corner. The horse will not steer very well and you’ll almost certainly crash into a wall or obstacles.

To get under 17 seconds, you either have to race absolutely perfectly or use Bind on the trees. The last two sets of trees, which block corners, are where you want to use Tri’s ability. Just grab hold of the tree as you approach it and hold down Bind so you can push it out of the way without losing momentum.

If you want to do it “properly”, though, you need to memorise where the flags are, dash as soon as you hit one, and get as close to the corners as possible.

You’ll get 20 rupees the first time you beat the course, but for squeezing under 17 seconds, you’ll be rewarded with 3 Might Crystals.

Middle Course

For us, this was the easiest of the three courses to get the “Quick” time. You only have to hit five flags, but the course is a bit different, mostly taking place outside of the ranch.

The key is to charge on the longer parts of the course — the first straight with the huge line of boxes; the second right-hand straight among the trees, and the north part of the course, where you can leap up the boxes and over the trees.

There are no other special tricks here. After the first corner, if you’re having trouble weaving between the trees, you can use Bind on the middle one to move it to one side if you want.

You’ll get the Prismatic Music Box for beating the course, which you need to create one of Dampé’s Automatons. For beating the fast time, you’ll get a Heart Piece!

Long Course

Like the Middle Course, the Long Course isn’t actually too hard. It took us one or two tries to get the best time here, but nowhere near as many as the Short Course.

This course puts the Short and Middle courses together, so you’ll be galloping around the outside and the inside of the Ranch. You don’t need to follow the arrows, and that’s key to beating the course and getting the best time.

The right-hand side has lots of trees that you need to weave between again, and a section with one crate and some arrows. It’s quicker to jump over the box than follow the arrows – the arrow will make the next turn a bit more difficult.

The hardest part of this course is the north section, where you have two rows of trees blocking the way. You need to go above and around the trees rather than under, as the arrow suggests. going above will allow you to turn into the Ranch a little smoother.

Once you’re inside the ranch itself, it should be fairly straightforward. Charge on the straights, stay close to the corners, and you should win.

You’ll get 50 Rupees for your first win, and the Charging Horn Accessory for beating the fastest time.

Need more help with Side Quests, mini games, or dungeon puzzles? Our Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom main walkthrough is the place you need to go.