NEWCASTLE punters can yield immediate dividends by supporting Genres in the opening race on Wednesday’s card.
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 remains fairly unexposed for a horse of his age. He was also a bit of an eyecatcher 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.
Perhaps of more importance, though, is the first-time appointment of the excellent Simon Walker, who is always in high demand for amateur races.
Mr Scaramanga can cut loose in Newcastle’s feature race, the Sun Bets Conditions Stakes. 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. 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 three of four 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 he 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.
Cadeau George secured his first victory in over two years last time out and can follow up in the Kidwells Solicitors Handicap Hurdle.
IRISH NEWS YANKEE
Nap: Genres (2.00: Newcastle)
Double: Mr Scaramanga (3.30: Newcastle)
Treble: Pretend (6.15: Kempton)
Yankee: Zamdy Man (2.30: Hereford)
