The first two mushers out of the Yukon Quest chute Saturday will, by the luck of the draw, be the same two who doggedly battled it out at the front of the pack for much of last year’s marathon.

Allen Moore — the 2014 Quest champion — and Brent Sass’s one-two start placement promises little impact on the race outcome, but stokes the fires of competition and re-ignites a longstanding rivalry. “I like the sound of ‘number one and two,’ I tell you that,” Moore said after the Quest’s start banquet Thursday evening.

“We always have a friendly rivalry, but I don’t think it means that much in in a 1,000-mile race, really. That’s a long way.

“Now, it could mean something if you have a lot of snow. But the trail’s going to be the same whether you’re the first musher or the last musher, because there’s not much snow and it’s a hard pack,” he told the Star.

“It’s going to be really competitive, it’s going to be really interesting.”

Sass, 35, who was racing neck-and-neck with Moore, 57, toward the race’s final checkpoint last year when he fell off his sled and suffered a concussion, appeared onstage with renewed purpose last night.

“I kind of let (my dogs) down last year,” said an emotional Sass. “But they’re

the strongest, best dogs I’ve ever had. We’re ready to kick some ass.

“I think it’s great that Allen’s out ahead of me. We’ve been battling it out for the last few years, and we’ll battle it out again, along with plenty of others,” he told the Star later.

Sass had to withdraw from the 2014 race near Braeburn, forfeiting the four ounces of gold originally earmarked for him when he entered the race halfway point, Dawson City, in first place. Mushers need to complete the race to claim the gold.

He has placed among the top five three times since 2007, and boasts a young but experienced team in this year’s race.

Veteran Lance Mackey, 44, will be running his eighth Quest, having missed last year’s bout. He proved he’s not adverse to a little friendly competition before the starter’s pistol fires.

“Brent, you’ve got your hands full,” challenged Mackey, who pulled bib No. 8 for his eighth Quest. “Must be an omen,” he said.

He also thanked the “king of the Quest,” Frank Turner, who until recently held the record for the most Quests run, now broken by Dave Dalton, 57, who is about to compete in his 25th.

Tomorrow’s starting line will be bookended by champions this year, with 2012 winner Hugh Neff launching out of the chute last. He drew bib No. 26 last night in the onstage lottery at the Yukon Convention Centre, which hosted the banquet.

“We all live for scooping poop everyday ... patting dogs’ butts and smelling funky all the time. But more than what we’re winning and trophies and all that sort of stuff, it’s really about the spirit,” said Neff.

On that note, he proposed a toast to Alex Van Bibber, the Yukon’s legendary hunter, trapper, guide and educator, who died last November at age 98.

Neff, 44, about to begin his 15th Quest since 2000, invoked the legacy of veteran mushers like Jeff King — a former champ competing for the first

time in 25 years — and Ray Redington, Jr., whose grandfather helped found the Iditarod.

Neff also invoked the legacy of the 98 Hotel and pub, which he “love(s).”

His and other mushers’ “love ... for this land and the dogs” also prompted him to put forward the idea of a dog hall of fame.

Whitehorse musher Normand Casavant, who placed seventh in the 2013 Quest and may be Canada’s best shot at a top-three finish, said he looked forward to a “rock ‘n’ roll” performance on the trail.

The first musher to draw a bib was Whitehorse’s Rob Cooke, who will leave the start line wearing bib No. 21.

The final musher to draw was Redington Jr. The rookie Quester of dog sledding royalty thanked local musher Gerry Willomitzer for his hospitality, mentioning their training run on Lake Laberge this week. He’ll don bib No. 19.

The full list of mushers and their bib numbers are as follows:

1. Allen Moore
2. Brent Sass
3. Normand Casavant
4. Cody Strathe
5. Nicolas Vanier
6. Tamra Reynolds
7. Damon Tedford
8. Lance Mackey
9. Jeff King
10. Tony Angelo
11. Dave Dalton
12. Kristin Knight Pace
13. Rolland Trowbridge
14. Torsten Kohnert
15. Scott Smith
16. Ryne Olson
17. Brian Wilmshurst
18. Joar Ulsom
19. Ray Redington, Jr.
20. Ed Hopkins
21. Rob Cooke
22. Mike Ellis
23. Magnus Kaltenborn
24. Jason Campeau
25. Matt Hall
26. Hugh Neff

The 2015 Yukon Quest will start at 11 a.m. Saturday at Shipyards Park.

The banquet included an opening blessing and remarks by Kwanlin Dun councillor Jessie Dawson and Ta’an Kwach’an elder Gail Anderson and Deputy Chief Michelle Telep.

Welcoming speeches were given by Commissioner Doug Phillips, Jeff O’Farrell, the deputy minister of Tourism and Culture, and Mayor Dan Curtis.

The Fiddleheads provided lively musical entertainment, playing bluegrass tunes following the two national anthems, performed by pianist Annie Avery and violinist Katie Avery.

A $10,000 cash draw accompanied a silent auction.

The event was hosted by the comedic George Maratos, with the start draw led by race marshal Doug Grilliot.

See related coverage, opposite; letter, p. 17, and special Quest supplement in today’s edition.