Pud puts his hopes on magic route into Slipper

Cessnock trainer Pud Davies will chase the Golden Slipper dream with Madame Fly in the Magic Night Stakes at Rosehill on Saturday. "The owner has the Slipper dream and we have a filly that is worth a go at it," Davies said. "I would have loved to get a run into her before this but we just ran out of RFID tag. She has had an easy and a hard trial at Cessnock and she won't disgrace herself against these fillies. We would rather be running in a class two than a group 2 but you don't get the chance to run in the Golden Slipper every day."

David Vandyke knows punters would be disappointed in his mare Choice Words but believe she could surprise them in Saturday's Birthday Card Stakes "provided everything goes right". Choice Words joins stable favourite Lamasery at Rosehill and both have each-way claims. "I think Choice Words has started favourite four out of her past five and not won," Vandyke said. "Punters probably hate her but she has been a good horse to her owners because she has won $58,000 in prizemoney and been stakes-placed twice in that time. She is a nice horse and you know what you will get with her, which is an honest run, but in this grade she has to get the break to win." Lamasery returns in the Ajax Stakes but his barrier trials have left Vandyke disappointed. "I think he is just taking a little more time to come to hand than usual," he said. "I think he can run a nice race but you will see his best when he steps up in trip."

Golden Slipper contender All The Talk will run with a changed name in next week's $3.5 million feature to avoid confusion with a four-year-old from Cloncurry, near Mount Isa. The Gary Portelli flyer will be known as I'm All The Talk in the Slipper. "It doesn't matter what they called him if he wins it," Portelli said. "He trialled on Tuesday and won it as he liked, so all we need now is a good barrier." The Queensland outback horse, All The Torque, will not be challenging for any major races soon with career stats of 28 runs for a total of five wins.

Punters will be able to access free Wi-Fi for their tablets and smart phones at the Rosehill Guineas meeting. The Australian Turf Club has installed a robust network designed to cope with thousands of mobiles at the racecourse. "This is a great step forward," said Racing NSW chief executive Peter V'landys. "The ATC has commenced utilising the $24 million grant provided through the merger agreement with this smart project. These funds were intended for projects that improve the racegoer experience and a free, high-quality Wi-Fi network certainly does that. Customer access to the internet is extremely important in our chip card, so this is a very positive initiative."

Victoria Racing Club chief executive David Courtney announced changes to the balloting conditions to this year's Melbourne Cup to provide more focus on current and staying form. Only performances that satisfy the first clause of balloting of wins in listed races of 2300 metres or further, or be placed in a group or graded race of 2300m and beyond, will be considered when the ballot is held. Previously, all prizemoney won since the sunset date was considered in the ballot but the sunset has been moved forward six months, so instead of August 1, 2011, it will be February 2012, with the exception of the placegetters from the 2011 Melbourne Cup and winner of 2011 Caulfield Cup. Some overseas races have been withdrawn as ballot-free.

The ballpark that gave up the fewest home runs last season was AT&T Park, whose tenants, the San Francisco Giants, won the World Series. Yet building a winning team in an extreme pitcher’s park has been much more challenging for the teams in the 28th- and 29th-ranked parks for home runs. The San Diego Padres (Petco Park, 28th) and the Seattle Mariners (Safeco Field, 29th) have not won much lately, and they decided after the season to move in their fences. In San Diego, the power alleys will be reduced by 12 feet in left field and nine feet in right. Another part of the right field wall will come in by 11 feet. In Seattle, the left field walls will be pulled in, in various spots, from four to 17 feet, with a four-foot reduction for much of right field. “We have been an outlier in terms of the difficulty hitting in our ballpark,” Mariners general manager Jack Zduriencik says. “What we really want to be is a fair ballpark for pitchers and hitters. That’s the biggest thing.” Neither the Padres nor the Mariners (whose retractable roof does not enclose the ballpark) can do much about the cool and heavy local air, which can depress the flight of a ball. But at least their hitters won’t be as frustrated as before. Now, of course, the teams need to find hitters talented enough to take advantage. That could be a much bigger challenge.

It’s been quite a debut for the new owners of the Los Angeles Dodgers, who last May paid $2.15 billion for a team emerging from bankruptcy with a payroll just over $100 million. Now the payroll is doubled, Dodger Stadium is being renovated, and the team is stuffed with TV stars. That’s no coincidence, since the Dodgers’ spending has everything to do with a lavish new deal for their cable rights. The Yankees showed the value of must-see players (who also win) on the wildly successful YES Network in New York. The Dodgers haven’t grabbed a playoff spot since 2009, so it will be fascinating to see if all their imports can come together and lead them back. Stan Kasten, the team president, promised that it would take more than dollars to win. “I always say smart beats rich,” he said. “The Yankees got as good as they are because they’re both smart and rich. We’re working on it.” All of the newcomers, even Zack Greinke, must prove the Dodgers smart for believing that their best days are in front of them, not behind them. If it turns out that the Dodgers paid Greinke for his Royals success, Carl Crawford for his Rays success and Hanley Ramirez for his Marlins success (and so on), this could turn into a big-budget Hollywood flop.

It was time for Josh Hamilton to leave the Texas Rangers. After five seasons in which he led them to their first two World Series, the fans had turned on him, and the team made a tepid offer to bring him back. Even so, the Rangers served Hamilton well in his time there, creating an environment in which he could manage his complicated life and thrive. A hefty contract (five years, $125 million), new teammates and a ballpark that is less hitter-friendly bring challenges that Hamilton, a recovering addict, must navigate now that he’s with the Los Angeles Angels. “I have a past history of making mistakes with drugs and alcohol, drinking twice in seven years, which is not good for me,” Hamilton said after signing. “They’re going to help me with my support system to put things in place that I had with the Rangers.” If Hamilton stays clean, he will add another dangerous bat to a glittering lineup that last year added Albert Pujols from St. Louis. Splashy annual signings do not guarantee success, and the Angels are starting to look like their 1980s teams, put together largely by poaching stars like Rod Carew, Reggie Jackson and Fred Lynn from other teams. But if Hamilton makes a smooth transition, the Angels could power their way to the World Series for the first time in more than a decade.