UNFORTUNATELY, the camera angles utilised at Cork on Friday meant that any sectional analysis was rendered impossible, but the card still threw up performances of interest, most notably from the rapidly improving Mutasarref who added a stakes win to a highly profitable campaign.

The Dark Angel gelding has seen his stock rise appreciably this season since joining Ger Lyons from Dermot Weld following a Listowel maiden win for his former handler.

Friday’s comfortable win under a confident Colin Keane was a fourth of the term and showcased once more the seismic ascent in official ratings from an initial mark of 80 to a current figure of 109 for the likeable four-year-old.

His latest performance was on a par with anything he has achieved on the clock previously (only his June Curragh win was marginally superior) and, given the manner of the performance, there is surely further improvement in the tank.

Mutasarref will have the opportunity to prove himself at group level should he take up his entry in the Group 2 Clipper Logistics Boomerang Mile at Leopardstown next month.

While that might appear an adventurous plan, connections have little to lose and it is worth recalling that but for a nose defeat in a maiden when with Weld last term, Mutasarref would be unbeaten in two starts at Leopardstown.

Thunder strikes

The Cork card also featured a career best performance from Rumbles Of Thunder who gained reward for a series of creditable efforts with success in the Group 3 Give Thanks Stakes, her first victory at group level.

The Night Of Thunder filly was following a tried and trusted path in winning the feature for trainer Paddy Twomey who also landed last year’s renewal with the talented La Petite Coco.

Although this performance was a little behind the winner’s Gowran success in May in terms of the clock, the way in which she moved through the race before putting it to bed with an authoritative change of gear suggested there was plenty more to come from a filly having just her fifth start for Twomey.

Given that her handler was also concerned about the underfoot conditions, citing his filly’s preference for cut in the ground in the post-race debrief, she could well enjoy a fruitful autumn once the rains arrive in force.

Rumbles Of Thunder boasts the pace for nine and 10 furlongs plus the stamina for a mile and a half which makes her an intriguing prospect going forward and, given the shrewd way in which her handler finds opportunities for his horses, a race like the Group 2 Blandford Stakes at the Curragh next month could fit ideally into her schedule.