Sam King is back with two selections on Thursday…

Oisin Murphy and Saaed bin Suroor are always something of a potent combination and I'm expecting them to team up to success once more this season when Sword Maker tackles the six-furlong British EBF Joan Snow Memorial Conditions Stakes at Salisbury (3.50).

The champion jockey elect has already had five winners from eight rides for the Newmarket-based handler this season and they can increase the strike rate with this progressive son of Pinatubo, who looked like an absolute handicap blot when Murphy steered him to a three-length success on his debut in that sphere at Doncaster last time out.

A 10lb hike puts him on a mark of 90 and in all truth, I'd suspect he could convincingly land a handicap off that rating. He hung left-handed when striking the front at Doncaster, so it's easy to suspect there could be plenty more to come and if taking another step forward here, he might well make a mockery of his rivals.

2pt Win – Sword Maker

Odds – 5/4

Over at the Nottingham, the best bet on the programme looks to be Gentle Warrior in the Stayers' Final Handicap at 4.05.

Trained by the all-conquering Karl Burke, Gentle Warrior appears to be on a nice upward trajectory and still remains unexposed over the one-mile trip.

A commanding winner at Haydock in an apprentice handicap when tackling the trip for the first time, he readily followed up with an even more impressive success at Chester just a week later. He subsequently failed to complete the hat-trick back at Haydock just six days ago but that looks a much stronger contest, despite officially being a weaker class event, with both Wathnan Racing's talented three-year-old Sing Us A Song and William Haggas' Klassleader the only two ahead of him.

There looks to be nothing of their calibre in this contest and with the long galloping straight at Nottingham likely to suit, he should have every chance of regaining the winning thread under talented apprentice Jack Nicholls.

1pt Win – Gentle Warrior

Odds – 5/2