Driving a team of 13 well-rested dogs, Allen Moore of Two Rivers left Dawson under sunny skies at 12:32 p.m. Friday. Nineteen minutes later, Lance Mackey followed, driving a team of nine dogs -- he left two behind in Dawson. Hugh Neff gave chase at 1:39 p.m. with a dozen dogs in harness.
The trail awaiting them is in good condition, according to a report on the Quest website.
"It's smoother than normal due to this year's heavy snowfall, with minimal jumble ice," organizers reported. "Mushers will need to keep an eye out for moose between Dawson City and Scoggie Creek, but other than that the trail is looking promising as team close in on Whitehorse."
Sebastian Schneulle, the 2009 Quest champion who isn't racing this year but is following the race on snowmachine, predicts that victory will go to one of the first five mushers leaving Dawson -- Moore, Mackey, Neff, Jake Berkowitz (who left Dawson at 3:04 p.m. Friday) or Brent Sass (5:24 p.m.).
"I know that some of you will wonder (why) I include Brent Sass in that group, as he is 5 hrs off the pace right now," he wrote on his Facebook page. "Here (are) the things I see going for him. He is going to leave with 14 dogs. That is a huge accomplishment to have 14 dogs and still be that high in the standing. But more than anything this will give Brent a lot of dog power in the black hills."
Schnuelle said that even though Mackey is down to nine dogs, the four-time champion from Fairbanks can't be discounted.
"I sure would not want him 40 minutes behind me," he wrote. "A master of the game, he will try to pull any possible trick out of the hat to get to Whitehorse first. Knowing Lance though, he will always stay within the means of his dog team."
Schnuelle said Moore's dogs looks better than any others in Dawson. "Very alert," he said, as if they have "just come off an easy training run."
The race is expected to end sometime Tuesday, according to the Quest website.
Yukon Quest standings as of 8 p.m. Friday
Out of Dawson -- Allen Moore 12:32 p.m. Friday, Lance Mackey 12:51 p.m., Hugh Neff 1:39 p.m., Jake Berkowitz 3:04 p.m., Brent Sass 5:24 p.m., Sonny Lindner 7:01 p.m., Joar Leifseth Ulsom 9:01 p.m., Abbie West 10:20 p.m.
Into Dawson -- Kristy Berington 11:13 a.m., David Dalton 5:23 p.m., Kyla Durham 12:30 a.m. Friday, Gus Guenther, 7:56 a.m., Trent Herbst 7:50 a.m., Paige Drobny 8:56 a.m., Yuka Honda 1:36 p.m., Brian Wilmshurst 6:18 p.m., Misha Pedersen 6:30 p.m.
Out of Eagle -- Marcelle Fressineau 3:35 p.m. Thursday, Michael Telpin 3:45 a.m. Friday.
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