Neff takes early Quest lead on Schnuelle, Gatt

Hugh Neff, in search of an elusive victory in the Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race, set the early pace Sunday in the 1,000-mile marathon.

Neff was the first to leave Carmacks, pulling out at 4:26 p.m. behind a team of 13 dogs.

Close on his heels, though, were the two men who denied him victory in the last two races -- 2009 champ Sebastian Schnuelle, who left Carmacks at 5:18 p.m., and defending champ Hans Gatt, who left at 5:28 p.m.

Neff was the runner-up in 2009 and placed third last year. The Tok musher owns eight Quest finishes, including three top-three showings.

He was the first musher to reach Carmacks, which is 177 miles from Whitehorse, Yukon, where the race began Saturday morning. He reached the checkpoint at 10:58 a.m. Sunday and rested there for nearly 5 1/2 hours.

Schnuelle arrived at Carmacks at 6:03 p.m. and left 15 minutes later -- but that doesn't means he's running tired dogs. Quest mushers often camp along the trail, especially early in the race, so the time spent at checkpoints is fairly meaningless at this stage.

The next checkpoint is 73 miles away in Pelly Crossing, although there's a dog drop 39 miles away at McCabe Creek.

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