Mandella Hopes To Gang Up On Cigar Once Again

Trainer Richard Mandella ganged up on Cigar with Dare and Go and Siphon in the Pacific Classic at Del Mar, the race that ended Cigar’s 16-race winning streak.

Saturday at Woodbine, he will try to take away defending champion Cigar’s title by hitting him with another two-horse wallop in the $4 million Breeders’ Cup Classic.

This time Dare and Go will have a different frontrunner. His name is Atticus, a grandson of Northern Dancer and Secretariat who began his career in France and has mostly specialized in grass racing.

In his only two appearances on the main track, Atticus won an allowance race at Santa Anita in his American debut March 2 and he thrived on a sloppy surface to capture Turfway Park’s Grade III Kentucky Cup Classic in his most recent race.

“This track looks very much like Turfway - very sandy with a firm base,” Mandella said. “He loved that. His race was spectacular.”