CANADA’S DOG DERBY

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 930, 25 March 1930, Page 14

CANADA’S DOG DERBY

A FOUR HUNDRED MILE TRACK Once a year, in the first week in sf a h U f J ’.. a - U tbe People of Canada talk dog, just as, once a year, in the first week m November, all the people of Australia and New Zealand “talk horse. In the month that follows the JJeiby is run—the International at Quebec taking pride of place among classic contests. The Pas, last frontier town in Northern Manitoba ranks *Vr xt ’ * *! he New En S land dog races attract the same “big-time” drivers. Ottawa, making a bid for repute as a winter sports rendezvous, was on the card this year for the first time. The Prairie and North-west have many races. The Alaska annual race is a notable one, although it is now practically confined to Alaskan and Yukon mushers. Another is held In the bierras in California, of purely local interest. Familiar cries will echo over many, three-day, 120-mile courses, as, in the words of the race promotors, mushers and malamutes match brains and brawn.”

Twenty-one years ago the first Dog Derby was run over a 408-mile wilderness trail, from Nome to Candle Creek and back, The All-Alaskan Sweepstake. John Hegness covered the distance in 11J hours. Like the Man from the Snowy River, the’Tiame of John Hegness is a household word today, and the woodsmen tell the story of his ride. The second race was won by Scotty Allen, a name to conjure with among the dog mushers today, for he is still a ranking performer. When Allen was beaten in 1910 at Nome, the winner, John Johnston covered the 40S inile3 in 74 hours 14 minutes, the fastest time ever made.

In 1915 Scotty Allen took 440 Alaskan dogs to France, and was awarded the Croix de Guerre for his services to the Allied cause. He is the inventor of the gang-hitch, which revolutionised dog racing. -> n 7? e Pas Derby was inaugurated in IJIG over a 150-mile course to Flin Flon, mushroom mining town and back, but did not come into prominence until 1919, when most of the dog handlers had returned from a bigger adventure. The Pas has developed some of the finest men and teams in the game, most famous of whom is Emil St. Godard, French-Canadian, who has won the Quebec classic three times and is not yet twenty-one. The “world championship” is awarded only at Quebec, whose meet follows the others, at the end of February. The course is 120 miles, 40 miles a day, seven dogs to the team. No dogs may be changed. In 1925, St. Godai d carried one of his dogs on the sledge for the last half of the final day’s race—and won! St. Godard made his debut at Quebec in 1925 at the age of sixteen; he is now the only man who has won it three times and holds the cup. In his second entry he was beaten by Frank Dupuis by a margn so narrow that the lead changed as many times in the last ten i miles, and a new record was established. St. Godard won again in 1927 and 1928, defeating Leonhard Seppala, veteran Alaska musher, past middle’ age, who took the last lap of the race 192^° me With di P htheria anti-toxin in

Seppala, with Siberian wolf-hounds, beat- St. Godard, with North-West nuskies, m one of the most spectacular races seen at Qimbec —or elsewhere. He beat St. Godard by an hour, broke iooc. reCC>rd St * Godard established in 19-8, and put the Americans back into the game. The freshness of Seppala’s dogs at the finish brought an unusual award a prize for condition. St. Godard finished with only four dogs; he stayed in the race just to keep faith with his friends. He knew he was beaten, but took the 40-mile grind of the last day over soft snow powdered by a head wind, at a pace that bewildered the experts. The sled dogs are trained for their life work as soon as they are able to walk. They are tied up and soon acquire the habit of pulling. When they are two months old they are given over to the care of boys, who harness them to small sleds or wagons. In time they come to enjoy the pastime. The lead or head dog Is trained to respond to his master’s voice. A good husky will gladly take on his weight up to 12 stone, in other dogs, men’ wolves or bear, and will pull the entire load, and push the other members of the team out of the way in order to do it. As a pet he is as acceptable as a timber wolf; on the snow trail he has no equal.