Whitehorse musher Hans Gatt scratched this morning from the Iditarod sled dog race.

The Iditarod media centre reported Gatt pulled out of the 1,600-kilometre race between Anchorage and Nome, Alaska because of concern for his dog team.

Nothing more specific was available by this afternoon’s press deadline.

A veteran of 13 Iditarods, Gatt has five top 10 finishes, including second in 2010, third in 2011 and ninth in 2014, his most recent race.

Gatt is also a four-time Yukon Quest champion.

The 57-year-old was running in 54th when he scratched at 8:35 a.m. Alaska time at the checkpoint in Nikolai, about a third into the race.

The perennial favourite was the fourth musher to withdraw from the record field of 85 teams.

Tagish musher Michelle Phillips was running in 24th position at around noon today, with an average speed of 7.8 miles per hour.

Whitehorse musher Rob Cooke, the only other Yukoner entered, was in 56th and travelling at an average speed of 4.82 miles per hour.

Defending Iditarod champion Dallas Seavey was leading the race this morning, travelling at 9.14 miles per hour.

Eureka, Alaska musher Brent Sass, last year’s Yukon Quest champion who finished in second this year behind Tok, Alaska musher Hugh Neff, was in eighth this morning.

He was travelling at an average speed of 8.96 miles per hour.

Two Rivers, Alaska musher Allen Moore, who finished third in last month’s Yukon Quest, was in 36th this morning.

The Iditarod began last Sunday.