any tips for newbies on the best stats to raise/ prefer for fighting?

Genes you mean?

Look at a mix of defensive and attacking genes.

Some attacks freeze opponents and make them miss a turn. These are very useful. Magic horn, Ice aura, Musical larynx/beak, etc.

Some attacks halve your opponent's hitpoints every turn: poison, venom, napalm. This really gives you a huge advantage.

Regeneration replaces lost hitpointsevery turn, which keeps you in the fight.

Elemental attacks give you massive strike power to blast away hitpoints. Attacks like Lightning strike, Fire breath, Acid spit, Ice breath. With a good cockatrice you can combine acid with regen and poison - this is one of the strongest builds in the game.

Other genes are quite useful. Determined for example - the pet can't miss a turn, unless knocked over by Blizzard or Massive wings.

Look under the Help menu at List of Genes. It'll give you an idea of what to breed for. It's much cheaper to buy a GP3 female and start breeding a perfect build yourself. Buying perfects is an expensive way to do it.