RACING TIPS: Genres offer at Newcastle for punters

Now in training with Alan Swinbank, having previously been in the care of John Gosden, he could take some stopping in the Betway Amateur Riders' Handicap.

Despite not having won a race since May 2015, Genres is fairly unexposed for a horse of his age. He was also a bit of an eye-catcher on his last outing at Newcastle on December 30.

Not a great deal was seemingly expected of him at odds of 14-1 but the gelded son of Champs Elysees finished fast and late to take fourth place in a mile-and-a-quarter handicap.

That was by far his best performance for some time and should tee him up nicely with this race in mind. The decision to step up to a mile and a half also looks a cool-and-calculated move from the wily Swinbank.

Perhaps of more importance, though, is the first-time appointment of the excellent Simon Walker, who is always in high demand as a jockey for amateur races like this.

MR SCARAMANGA can cut loose in Newcastle's feature race, the Sun Bets Conditions Stakes, under John Egan.

Fourth in the Chesham at Royal Ascot last summer and already runner-up in a Listed race, the three-year-old Sir Percy colt is unsurprisingly the highest-rated horse in this line-up.

Simon Dow's representative should also be much wiser for last month's outing in a fair heat at Lingfield, when he had to work harder than expected to snuff out the considerable threat of Ocean Promise.

It will be interesting to see how PRETEND gets on at Kempton's evening meeting with Adam Kirby on board.

Godolphin's six-year-old was a little disappointing on the turf last summer but he is an entirely different proposition on the all-weather.

Pretend, a winner on Finals Day at Lingfield in April 2015, has been off the track for a good while but his class should see him home as he takes on inferior rivals off level weights in the 32Red Conditions Stakes.

ZAMDY MAN should be pretty hard to beat when he goes for gold at Hereford.

The eight-year-old, trained by Venetia Williams, was a really solid hurdler, having claimed Grade Two honours at Haydock a few years ago.

But he also appears to have a bright enough future over fences and looks in a particularly happy place ahead of the Kidwells Group Novices' Chase.

Zamdy Man won nicely on his penultimate start at Uttoxeter in April but was a bit too keen for his own good at Ludlow last month and ended up finishing second behind the useful Kilcrea Vale in a two-and-a-half-mile novice chase.

That longer trip was also not especially helpful to his cause, so it seems to make perfect sense to revert to the minimum trip for a horse that is capable of winning a nice prize this season. Aidan Coleman takes the reins today.

CADEAU GEORGE secured his first victory in over two years last time out and can follow up in the Kidwells Solicitors Handicap Hurdle with David Bass in the saddle.

The eight-year-old spent a good deal of that intervening period on the sidelines after pulling up in the 2015 Midlands National but appears to be shaping well back over hurdles.

Rated 122 over fences, Cadeau George is a good bit lower in the hurdles sphere and took full advantage of that when outstaying his rivals at Huntingdon on Boxing Day.

He won off 110 that day and has been raised 5lb since – but that still leaves him below his best chase mark and he can capitalise on that again.

CALETT MAD looks the one in the Bathwick Tyres Handicap Chase as Daryl Jacob takes the reins at Taunton.

The Nigel Twiston-Davies-trained five-year-old has not yet dazzled in the jumping department but he looks to have a sizeable engine.

No better was that illustrated than on his fencing debut at Newcastle, when he won a three-mile limited handicap for novices on his first start for Twiston-Davies.

Calett Mad could not follow up at Ludlow, where he again made a few mistakes, but to get to within five lengths of the experienced Fox Appeal was certainly no outrage.

With conditions in his favour, there is much more to come from this one.