Richie Beattie, the Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race's 2006 Rookie of the Year, will be leaving the starting chute in first position for this year's race, which will start tomorrow.

The 33-year-old placed ninth in the 2006 race. He was one of just two rookies to complete the turbulent trail last year.

Beattie drew the spot at the sold-out Quest start banquet hosted at the Westmark Whitehorse Hotel last night.

Some mushers prefer not to be the first out of the start chute because it involves added pressure and breaking the first part of the trail. Dogs also like to have another team to follow.

But Beattie told the Star leaving the start line in downtown Whitehorse wearing the number one bib didn't concern him that much.

'It will be good to get going,' he said. 'I'm sure there'll be a bunch of people who will be ahead of me in no time.'

Expecting people to pass him isn't negative, he added, it's smart.

'It's not a race in the first few hours.'

His goal for this year's race is to just finish, though he wouldn't mind completing the course faster than his time of 12 days, two hours and six minutes in 2006.

'But it's not my focus at all right now,' said Beattie, adding he just wants to take good care of his dogs.

Guests at the packed $50-a-head event enjoyed a dinner of salad, salmon medallions, roast beef, teriyaki chicken, pasta, vegetables and potatoes before moving on to a decadent table piled with desserts.

The mushers were allowed an opportunity to relax and mingle before heading out on the 1,600-kilometre trail.

The Rendezvous can-can dancers entertained the crowd and donned Sorel boots for their final number.

The Yukon Human Rights Commission did a presentation on Jujiro Wada, a Japanese musher who followed what is now the Quest's trail over a century ago. (See separate story, p. 7.)

Devon Anderson, of the Jamaica dogsled team that will be following the Quest to learn from the mushers, apologized to the crowd for not bringing sunshine with him. But he said he felt it was best for the dogs that the warmer temperatures stay in the South.

Canada Post also unveiled the stamp for the International Polar Year and announced the 28 teams running the Quest will carry envelopes bearing the stamp on the race.

The competitors were welcomed by Jessie Dawson, a Kwanlin Dun First Nations councillor, Mayor Bev Buckway, Tourism Minister Elaine Taylor and Yukon MP Larry Bagnell before the drawing of the starting order began.

The numbers are pulled based on the order the mushers registered for the race.

Rookie musher Brent Sass was the first to pull number three from the hat, telling the audience when he signed up he didn't realize being at the top of the list meant he would be breaking the ice for everyone else.

Reigning champion Lance Mackey was the fourth musher called to the stage to pull his bib number, drawing number 12.

American Greg Parvin followed him to stage, pulling number 16 and honouring his team in his address to the crowd.

'I'm going to thank my dogs in advance for what I am going to ask them to do on Saturday,' he said.

Local musher William Kleedehn expressed some distaste to the audience after he drew number four.

'I'm not happy with four,' he said. 'I was hoping for maybe 24.'

Gerry Willomitzer joked his start in the 23d position sounded like he could sleep in on Saturday morning.

Willomitzer said last year, after he came down off of Eagle Summit, which was experiencing whiteout conditions, he thought, 'The best part about this is that I don't have to come back here again, ever.'

Signing up for the Quest again this year shows just how much things can change in a year, he said.

Yukoner Kyla Boivin agreed the Quest can be a 'hard habit to kick.'

The 24-year-old will be running her fifth race. She scratched last year in Pelly Crossing after dealing with back pain for much of the race's rough trail.

Reading an emotional poem she wrote about last year's trail, she told the audience that she didn't think she'd be coming back to the race, but is glad to be going again for 2007.

She will leave the historic White Pass and Yukon Route train depot in position 21.

Sebastian Schnuelle again drew number 22, and declared he didn't like getting high numbers.

Schnuelle left Fairbanks in position 22 in 2006. That year, it was the last place spot.

This year it was two-time champion John Schandelmeier who pulled number 28 and will be leaving the start line last.

'It doesn't make any difference. It will all get sorted out on the trail somewhere,' Schandelmeier told the Star.

'Actually, I like leaving last. It's a very relaxing place to be. You don't have to worry about anybody passing you.'

He added the position may work out to his advantage because his wife, Zoya Denure, is running the Quest 300, and depending on timing, she may reach his first rest stop before he leaves.

Michelle Phillips' partner, Quest veteran Ed Hopkins, will also be running the Quest 300 this year.

Phillips had her seven-year-old son, Keegan, come to the stage and pull her number for her. She'll be leaving in position 11.

Her previous two races she has pulled number eight and finished the trail in eighth spot.

She told the audience this year she will also be racing for 2004 Quest finisher Agata Franczak, who died of cancer in December.

Dawson City-based musher Peter Ledwidge said Franczak will also be on the trail with him, as will his friend, Chad Tracey, who also died from cancer.

Ledwidge said his wife had said his sled was going to be pretty heavy when he told her that.

He disagreed. 'I said, No, they'll be pushing.'

Ledwidge drew number 10.

'I'll work hard on the trail,' he said.

Returning veteran Frank Turner said looking back on the trail, mushers have to ask themselves how much they put into the race.

'When you're out there on the trail, you expect your dogs to give 100 per cent and you look back and ask yourself how much you've given,' said Turner.

Turner ran every race from 1984 until 2005, when he 'retired.' He joked about coming back for this year's trail for which he'll leave in spot 18.

Last year's Red Lantern winner, Regina Wycoff, pulled number 13, but said she wasn't superstitious.

'I hadn't even thought about it,' she said of the number.

She'd like to improve on her standings, which saw her reach the finish line in 11th spot after 13 days, 17 hours and 57 minutes.

'But I'd take the Red Lantern too,' she said. 'If that's the only position left, I'll take it.'

Alphabetically, the remaining starting positions are: Kiara Adams, 24th; Benedikt Beisch, seventh; Tom Benson, eighth; Aaron Burmeister, fifth; Russ Bybee, 25th; Dave Dalton, ninth; Hans Gatt, 17th; Kelly Griffin, 14th; William Hanes, 26th; J.T. Hessert, 20th; Yuka Honda, 27th; Mike Jayne, second; Bob McAlpin, sixth; Hugh Neff, 19th; and Catherine Pinard, 15th.

See the special Quest supplement in today's edition.