Approximately 10 percent of the picnic tables in the backyard of Saratoga Race Course will be reserved for paying customers during the meet that starts July 24 and runs through Sept. 7, the New York Racing Association announced on Monday. NYRA officials said 100 tables would be available to be reserved each day of the meet at a cost of $40 on weekdays, $60 on weekends, and $100 on Travers Stakes Day, Aug. 29. Another 850 tables will remain available on a first-come, first-served basis, the association said. Last year on Travers Day, NYRA made a selection of its picnic tables available for paying customers for the first time. The policy this year is a meet-long extension of that strategy, though NYRA officials noted that the same number of picnic tables would be available this year on a first-come basis as last year. Most picnic tables in the backyard have been reserved in the past by patrons entering the racetrack at dawn and leaving belongings at the table, an informal system that has endured for years. The 100 picnic tables available for reservation will all be located “adjacent to the paddock,” NYRA said, an area that has grown considerably smaller over recent years with the addition of restricted-access areas.  During a Monday press conference previewing the highly popular Saratoga meet, NYRA officials also said the tables located in the open-air carousel restaurant area will now also be restricted to paying customers. The four-tops will be available for $35 on weekdays, $50 on weekends, and $100 on Travers Day, NYRA said. The carousel area is undergoing a renovation that will be finished by opening day, according to NYRA officials. “It’s no secret that securing a coveted table at Saratoga can be a challenge,” said Lynn LaRocca, NYRA’s chief experience officer, in a release issued after the press conference. “These new areas will make it possible for guests to enjoy a leisurely day at Saratoga with the guarantee that they have a seat waiting for them upon arrival, thereby eliminating the need to often arrive at dawn to claim a table.” NYRA officials also said they had canceled the track’s traditional “open house” event, which was popular with locals and had been scheduled for the past 30-plus years for the Sunday prior to opening day. Patrons were not charged admission for the event, which typically featured the running of several non-pari-mutuel races and fair-type promotional offerings. During the press conference, Chris Kay, NYRA’s chief executive, cited the cost of the event as a factor in canceling the open house.  In response to a question posed during the Monday conference, NYRA officials said that Travers Day admissions would be restricted if American Pharoah, the Triple Crown winner, runs in the race. The NYRA officials did not say what the cap would be. Record attendance for the Travers is 60,486 in 2001, when Preakness and Belmont Stakes winner Point Given won the race. NYRA also announced that season passes for the meet would be sold once again this year at a cost of $35 for the grandstand and $55 for the clubhouse. The Saratoga meet this year has 40 live racing days. Giveaway days this year will be Sunday, July 26 (baseball cap); Monday, Aug. 3 (cooler bag); Wednesday, Aug. 19 (umbrella); and Sunday, Sept. 6 (long-sleeved T-shirt), NYRA said.