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Opening day at Saratoga
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Fans shrug off storms to enjoy track’s opening
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Photographer:
Peter Barber
Kris and John Sigsby of Saratoga share a laugh between races on opening day at Saratoga Race Course.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — A wet opening day diminished the crowds but didn’t keep everyone away from Saratoga Race Course on Wednesday. “When we got here, it was pouring,” said Mary Jane Steele of Enfield, Conn. Steele, her daughter, nephew and his friend came anyway, arriving for the first day of the six-week racing meet just after the gates opened at 11 a.m. They staked out a dry spot under the overhang at the front of the grandstand and set up their chairs and coolers. “It’s just fun to be out here,” said Tracey Lafleur, Steele’s daughter, who lives in East Windsor, Conn. Given the rain, New York Racing Association officials were pleased with the turnout. Paid admission on Wednesday was 18,127, a considerable decrease from the 30,052 for opening day in 2007 and the 27,346 for opening day in 2006. The on-track handle on Wednesday was $2.8 million, down from the $3.9 million in 2007 and $3.7 million in 2006 on opening day. “It’s very far from optimum conditions,” said NYRA spokesman John Lee as the rain pounded down with one race to go. Saturday’s weather is expected to be rainy and potentially stormy as well, but Lafleur plans to be at the track anyway. “For the Whitney, I’ll be dressed up with the hat and everything,” she said. The rain and work obligations did keep some of their family members from attending opening day this year. Usually Steele and Lafleur make the two-hour trip with about 15 people, but this year, only four of them came. “Usually, we have one whole section here,” Steele said. The mother and daughter each bet $2 per race. As the rain came down off and on throughout the afternoon, people congregated under the roofed areas of the track and huddled under umbrellas and ponchos, and some had even pitched tents on the lawn to stay dry. At the Wright Street entrance, Ruth Seeber and Margie Boucher had their umbrellas at the ready as they worked as hospitality greeters just inside the gate. They fielded questions about where to buy programs, the location of the nearest bathroom and even who’s going to win a race. “If I knew who was going to win, I’d be first in line,” said Seeber, who lives in Clifton Park and has worked at Saratoga Race Course for nine years. Seeber said the crowd seemed light compared to past opening days when the weather was nice. But lots of people will come regardless of the weather, Boucher said. Frank Anzalone of Troy didn’t seem to mind getting wet as he sat with friends by the paddock. He enjoys handicapping horses and has done so since he was a child. “I go by breeding only. I know the dams. I know the sires,” he said. Last year, Anzalone netted $25,000 betting at the track, he said, including $9,000 at the Travers Stakes. Keith Slupski, 48, of Troy, also started handicapping horses as a child and has been coming to the races at Saratoga since he was 5. “Even if I don’t come up, most days I’ll work a sheet,” Slupski said. John Cornacchia, 22, of Garden City, is working his first summer at Saratoga, though he’s no stranger to the racing circuit. The recent college graduate grew up near Belmont Park and came to Saratoga as a child to watch the races. “I’ve been here for three days and it’s rained every day,” he said. The track’s Saratoga Restaurant Row opened for the first time Wednesday, offering food from five local restaurants for $4 to $7. Mayor Scott Johnson attended a grand opening ceremony for the new attraction. One of the other new things at the track, air conditioning in the At the Rail Pavilion, got off to a shaky start as the system malfunctioned early in the afternoon. But it was working fine again by about 2 p.m., Lee said. A voltage setting and low fuel in the generator were to blame for the problem, he said. Even without air conditioning, the day was cool enough that people crowded into the pavilion for lunch and betting. In Washington, U.S. Rep. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-Hudson, introduced a resolution honoring the flat track, which began its 140th season Wednesday. Gillibrand, a member of the House Agricultural Committee, invited Americans and members of Congress to visit the track, which she noted races the best thoroughbreds from around the world. It’s also the oldest organized sporting venue in the country and boasts a $200 million economic impact and contributes more than 2,500 jobs to Saratoga County and the surrounding area, Gillibrand said in her resolution. A hat contest will be the attraction Sunday at the track, which coincides with the annual Saratoga baseball cap giveaway. The 17th annual hat contest caps the three-day Hats Off to Saratoga Festival that lasts all weekend with music downtown. The contest on the track apron will have adults and children competing in three categories: Uniquely Saratoga, Fashionably Saratoga and Kreative Kids. Registration will begin at noon under the grandstand where patrons will await their turn to flaunt their head pieces after the second, third and fourth races, about 1:35, 2:10 and 2:40 p.m. Prizes include betting vouchers, lunch and gift certificates. For more information about Saratoga Race Course, call 584-6200 or visit www.nyra.com.
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December 4, 2008
11:50 a.m. [ Suggest removal ]
Everything is great with the saratoga track except take a look at delmar some say on line and see what you can do for free.Example plat the contest,view the races while they are running,etc.,etc. when will nyra wake up???????????????