DAWSON CITY – The frontrunners of the Yukon Quest pack had organizers scrambling toward Dawson City a half day ahead of schedule, as Hans Gatt, Sebastian

Schnuelle, Brent Sass and Ken Anderson made their way into the Scroggie Creek dog drop last night.

Yesterday morning in Pelly Crossing, race marshal Hans Oettli confirmed the general opinion that there was no way any team would be coming into the halfway checkpoint before this evening. By mid-afternoon, Quest followers were abuzz with the news that Hugh Neff, who has led the charge into every checkpoint so far, was cutting a fast pace toward Dawson. By early evening, they were hastily packing their bags and making their way up the Klondike Highway.

The racers are now in the information blackout zone between Scroggie Creek and Dawson City, and at 12:45 p.m. today all there was to go on is speculation.

Gatt, a marathon runner who has been known to run into checkpoints beside his dog team, has the physical advantage coming up the steep climb of King Solomon's Dome. But it is Neff who told reporters, "I have gold on my mind” during a rest stop in Carmacks Sunday.

Even if Gatt does make it to the Dome first, some believe the Austrian-born Yukoner would let someone else take the four ounces of placer gold that go to the first racer into the Klondike town if it meant saving his dogs for the gruelling climbs awaiting them in Alaska.

Musher Gwen Holdman, who is watching the race from Fairbanks, said she thinks the four frontrunners likely left Scroggie in a pack around 5 or 6 a.m.

"Hugh was due for a long break to make up for the rest he has cut previously,” she said, referring to the fact Neff hasn't taken a break since leaving Pelly Crossing.

"He might have left first, but I don't think the others were too far behind. Sebastian might still pull over for a break unless he wants to take me up on my suggestion to do a monster long run into Dawson. Somehow I don't think he'll do that. So it seems like it is a horse race between Hugh, Hans, and Ken in terms of who will be the first to arrive in Dawson.”

The next pack of racers is not far behind.

The following mushers have reached Scroggie Creek, according to reports from either the remote dog drop or the SPOT tracking system:

• Dallas Seavey

• Dan Kaduce

• Allen Moore

• Wade Marrs

• Michelle Phillips

• Kelley Griffin

• Mike Ellis

• Josh Cadzow

Johannes Rygh and Jodi Bailey are close behind, but likely won't be into Scroggie until this afternoon.

Didier Moggia of Whitehorse, Kyla Durham, Christine Roalofs, Hank DeBruin, Jerry Joinson, Dave Dalton and Clint Warnke have all left Pelly but are still a ways away from the final dog drop before Dawson.

Quebec musher Denis Tremblay and Allen Dennis have both scratched from the race.