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FAIRBANKS — The Cadzows are making the 2009 Yukon Quest a family endeavor — 21-year-old Josh of Fort Yukon will race a team trained in part by his father, Clifton, while uncle Jay has chimed in with tales from his bygone adventures on the trail.

It’s a unique arrangement: Clifton returned for a few months to his hometown Fort Yukon from Fairbanks (where he moved in 2000) to assist Josh, who was busy working full-time as a fuel driver.

“He’s a good trainer,” Josh said of his dad. “And I’m a good racer.”

Clifton, now back in Fairbanks, said Tuesday it was tempting to drive the team himself, but Josh’s youth won out.

“He’s got more pizzazz than me,” Clifton said about the youngest musher in this year’s field. “I wanted to, but Joshua, he’s (also) got his own leaders there.”

Josh’s interest in running the 1,000-mile Quest intensified after he dominated the Quest 300 last year, winning by more than 12 hours. After traveling from Fairbanks to Circle faster than all the full Quest racers — champion Lance Mackey included — Josh said “Watch out next year” and now intends to back up that statement.

“(The Quest 300), that’s what got me saying this Quest is a good race for me and my dogs,” Josh said last week from Fort Yukon. “The training up here is almost no different — cold, tough and rough.”

Josh has been helping with the team mostly on weekends; recently, father and son took a three-day, 200-mile trip east beyond Chalkyitsik and back.

“It sort of came together recently after a few long trips with the dogs,” said Josh, adding that the racing team has been trimmed from 26 to 14 dogs. “We have a young team, and they’re looking good.”

Clifton attempted the Quest in 1988 but wound up scratching at Dawson City.

“I just had a blast. My problem was I didn’t have enough dog food and dog booties sent out to the checkpoints,” said Clifton, who will be Josh’s Quest handler this year.

Clifton’s brother Jay, who runs a trapline out of Fort Yukon, finished two of four Quest starts in the 1990s, taking fifth in 1993 and third in 1995.

“He tells me stories and all kinds of stuff ... (such as) how he does it when dogs get sick,” Josh said.

In addition, Fort Yukon villagers have supplied Josh with bear, moose, lynx and beaver to feed the dogs, and the local government and Native corporation also have contributed. Fairbanks veterinarian Mark May administered shots, removed dew claws and did a check-up in Fort Yukon, all free of charge.

Josh will step up his involvement, as he is soon coming to Fairbanks, where he’ll stay at his parents’ place in Goldstream Valley. As a preparation for the Quest, Josh hopes to race the team in the Gin Gin 200 beginning Dec. 27, but that depends on whether four dogs who are recovering from dew claw removal will be ready to go, Clifton said. Josh also plans to run the Copper Basin 300.

Another person that has helped Josh out is Quest veteran Hugh Neff, who paid his $1,500 entry fee, delivering on a promise that he announced at the 2008 Quest finish banquet in Whitehorse.

“He’s been bugging me to enter for some time now,” Josh said.

Added Clifton about Neff’s donation: “We’ll make it up to him. We’ve got a leader we could give him.”

Neff, contacted last week in Annie Lake, Yukon, said he’s excited that a young Native musher is going for it. Only a few Native mushers — young or older — have participated in the Quest.

“It adds more culture to the races,” Neff said. “Native kids need inspirational guys like Josh and the Cadzow family.”

Neff met Josh at the bottom of Eagle Summit last year and later spent time with him in Kotzebue at the Kobuk 440. The two have talked about setting up a springtime mid-distance race in Fort Yukon.

“I could tell, this kid, his heart was in the right place,” Neff said. “It’s pretty neat, and I’m looking forward to hopefully seeing him at the (Quest) finish line.”

Josh is confident he’ll make it, and is not intimidated by the 40-musher field that is arguably the strongest in race history. He’s shooting for the top 10.

“I have the list sitting right here,” Josh said. “I plan on doing good. I ain’t there to camp.”

Quest hits 40

Iditarod veteran Peter Bartlett of Willow became the 40th musher to sign up for the 2009 Quest. His application was sent by certified mail and postmarked on last Friday’s deadline.

This year’s turnout is the highest since 41 mushers started the 2002 race.

The final 2009 number is likely to change, as typically a few mushers withdraw before the start (the penalty is just $150) and others can still sign up until Jan. 9 by paying a $500 late fee.

A record number of 47 mushers started the 1988 and 1989 races. Thirty-nine mushers started in 1986, 1987, 1990 and 1993 while 38 set off in 1994 and 1998.

Contact staff writer Matias Saari at 459-7591.