DAWSON CITY – For the third straight year, Brent Sass is the first Yukon Quest musher to reach the Klondike.

The raceʼs defending champion arrived in Dawson City at 12:21 PST this afternoon, and will claim four ounces of Dawson City placer gold if he reaches the finish line in Whitehorse.

Four ounces of gold is currently valued at nearly US$4,800, or CDN$6,700.

The Dawson checkpoint marks the halfway point of the 1,600-kilometre sled dog race and is the first official stop on the Canadian side of the border.

Sass and his team of huskies – still 14 strong – will rest here for a mandatory 36 hours. He entered the checkpoint with one dog – Braeburn – riding comfortably in the sled, due to fatigue.

While eager fans watched, Sass had his belongings checked by race officials before presenting his passport to a Canadian customs officer.

Travelling from Eagle, Alaska, mushers face both American Summit – a 1,026-metre mountain – and another steep detour off the Yukon River to the Top of the World Highway.

Impassable ice jams between the mouth of the Fortymile River and Dawson City necessitated a re-route to the Top of the World Highway, resulting in an additional 762-metre climb.

Sass said it was a difficult trek.

“My legs hurt really bad right now, I can tell you that,” the 36-year-old Eureka, Alaska, musher told reporters gathered around him at the checkpoint. “Instead of a flat river, we had to go over some hills. I think it probably got to my head a little bit, which probably got to the dogsʼ heads a little bit.”

Temperatures were -17 C when Sass arrived in Dawson City.

Sass said reaching the halfway point first is significant, but thereʼs still a long route ahead.

Two years ago, he failed to claim his golden prize after suffering a race-ending concussion near Braeburn. The gold was instead forfeited to 2014 race winner Allen Moore.

“Itʼs awesome, but the finish line is still in Whitehorse. But it means the dogs are performing good. … Itʼs been an interesting race for sure. Nothing like last yearʼs race, so thatʼs why Iʼm pretty happy to be here.”

Looking tired, but still sporting his trademark smile, Sass admitted his dogs struggled with a stomach bug early in the race.

“The stress of the race got to them and they were fairly sick for the first three or four days of the race,” he said. “Last year, Iʼd throw anything at them and theyʼd eat it like alligators. This year I had to give them a buffet of food every single meal. … It just took me a lot longer.”

Sass was also the first musher to cross the Canadian border late last night.

Trailing two hours behind him are former race champions Allen Moore and Hugh Neff.

Rising star Matt Hall is currently in fourth place, followed by Yukon musher Ed Hopkins.

The Tagish Lake resident is currently the top Canadian.

Race marshal Doug Grilliot said the first half of the trail was in tip-top shape.

“Weʼve been fortunate this year on the Alaska side and so far down to Dawson,” he said this morning. “The trail was just in incredibly good shape.”

The Top of the World Highway re-route was needed, he added.

“It was just a necessity. Weʼre really fortunate that we had the option of going down that road this year.”

The 33rd annual Yukon Quest 1,000 Mile International Sled Dog Race began in Fairbanks, Saturday.

A total of 23 mushers – including five Yukoners – are attempting the odyssey to Whitehorse.

Last year, Sass took victory in nine days, 12 hours and 49 minutes.

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