SARATOGA SPRINGS — Richard DiCristofaro has given plenty of close shaves.

On Saturday, the longtime Schenectady barber saw the thoroughbred version at Saratoga Race Course: Colonel John edged Mambo in Seattle in the 139th running of the Travers Stakes, Saratoga’s signature race.

DiCristofaro was among 40,723 who crowded the Union Avenue grounds on a sunny, late-summer day. Fans were buzzing about the head-bobbing duel at the race’s end, jockey Alan Garcia’s five wins on the day and the monster win by 88-1 long shot Slambino in the seventh race — a $2 winning ticket paid $179.

The comfortable weather pleased both track fans and officials with the New York Racing Association, which announced an on-track handle of $8.28 million, above the 2007 Travers on-track handle of $7.76 million. The total handle was $37 million, which beat $36 million in pari-mutuel tickets purchased in 2007. The figure also was the second-highest total handle in Travers history.

DiCristofaro received a financial trim from Da’Tara. He backed the Belmont Stakes winner in the feature event.

Daily Gazette writer Jeff Wilkin reports from Travers Day at Saratoga Race Course on Saturday.
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“I had the lead all the way around,” said DiCristofaro, who spent his first Travers Day with wife Lyn and friends inside the race course’s At the Rail Pavilion. “But he faltered.”

The loss didn’t spoil the day. “Everyone seemed to be in a great mood — win, lose or draw,” DiCristofaro said.

Others offered similar reviews. There were dozens of stories from the Capital Region’s biggest outdoor picnic of the year.

Dawn Patrol

By 10 a.m., Don Garrity, 34, of Latham, was sitting at a wooden picnic table in the track’s backyard behind a blue and green pile of poker chips.

Six guys were playing Texas Hold ’Em. Another six guys were perched on nearby picnic tables watching the bluffs, folds and big hands before the noon post time.

Jason LeBlanc, 32, who also lives in Latham, was one of the spectators. He and his friends rent a school bus every year and are on the road by 5 a.m. to join the annual rush for picnic space.

Like every other year, men and women on Saturday scattered for spots like squirrels sprinting from wolves.

“I’d like to see it from a helicopter because I swear it would look like an ant farm,” Garrity said. “Everybody’s running full speed, all over. Mayhem.”

LeBlanc said his crew planned ahead. Ten guys ran for it when the race course gates opened at 7 a.m., while a couple of guys stayed outside the gates with the coolers. Once space was secured, the gang hauled in the plastic vaults full of beer and ice.

“You’ve got about one minute, then all the tables are taken,” LeBlanc said, a can of Miller Lite in hand.

Capturing the colors

Artist Nick Martinez spent part of the day brushing deep brown paint into canvas, making a portrait of star thoroughbred Curlin.

Martinez, a former jockey and exercise rider, displays paintings and prints in a small tent in the backyard. He’s never far from the horses, who walk the gravel path just three feet from his shop on their way to the paddock.

“You have the finest horses in the country here, walking by all day long,” he said. “I love painting horses, I’ve always loved horses. I throw a few dabs of color on my canvas as they walk by.”

Tom Brennan of Massapequa promised a return to Martinez’s outdoor studio after the last race.

“We always buy from Nick,” he said. “My wife is a big horse fan; she’s got paintings all over the house.”

Answers, Please

Ruth Mattiello of Saratoga Springs doesn’t know everything. But as one of the red-vested NYRA greeters stationed around the track, she stood at a “May I Help You” sign and answered questions about the track.

“We get, ‘Where’s the ladies’ room?’ ‘Where’s the track?’ ‘Where can I get a drink?’ any number of everyday questions,” Mattiello said.

Some inquiries sound desperate.

“I get, ‘Have I got a tip?’ ‘Have I got any cash?’ ” Mattiello said. “I usually say the only thing we don’t give out are tips and loans.”

Party Time

Dennis Rourke always celebrates the Travers.

But Saturday’s celebration was different: Jennifer Rourke threw a surprise party for her husband’s upcoming 40th birthday, complete with 25 friends, balloons and trays full of shrimp,vegetables and other foods.

“I grew up working here,” said Rourke, who recently moved his family to Chicago and relished the chance to introduce daughters Emma, 3, and Molly, 1, to the track.

“It’s a great reason to get together, the Travers,” Jennifer said.

Dave Stein of Cambridge, Mass., likes the water. That’s why he and friends hauled in an inflatable kiddie pool and filled it with ice and 80 cans of beer.

“I love sitting in my backyard in my kiddie pool,” said the 22-year-old Stein. “And I love racing. I was thinking, ‘Why not bring it to the race?’ Why not mix them both and have a great day?”

Government Approval

Gov. David Paterson and former state Senate majority leader Joseph L. Bruno spent time in conversation before the Travers.

Neither offered a pick for the race.

“I was pleased that there was a horse called Harlem Rocker in the race,” Paterson said, adding that he likes the entire Saratoga scene.

“It’s a great culmination of culture and rooting for a different sport, the sport of kings.”

Bruno seconded the motion.

“There’s no place like Saratoga, especially on Travers Day,” he said. “Everybody’s so excited and so enthusiastic. It truly is the Kentucky Derby of the Northeast.”