THE CHRIS AND COREY MUNCE TRAINING PARNERSHIP LANDS THE LISMORE CUP WITH CARRAVILLA

By Graham Potter | Friday, September 25, 2026

The Chris and Corey Munce stable didn’t necessarily need a confidence-booster ahead of a possible big day out at Toowoomba on Saturday, where they have live chances in both the Weetwood and the Toowoomba Cup, but they got one anyway when the lightly-weighted Carravilla took out the Lismore Cup to kick off their weekend in style.

The win was a fitting reward for Carravilla’s consistency, coming as it did on the back of the two runner-up finishes and a third place finish in her previous three starts in which she never finished more than a length behind the winner.

A big part of the credit for the Lismore Cup win has to go to the emerging apprentice Archie McColm who produced a perfect ride on the Team Munce trained runner.

While he did have a horse under him weighted to run a big race, McColm directed Carravilla (the $4.40 second favourite) with a confidence and control beyond his years, getting his mount out quickly at the break and then doing enough to have the Munce trained runner settle in a handy fourth place in the early part after jumping from a wide, barrier ten draw … before moving up steadily to challenge for the lead in the early part of the home straight.

McColm then asked Carravilla to go through her gears, and she duly built winning momentum … first taking the measure of the $61 bolter Do It For You … who had struck the lead hallway up the straight … and then kicking on strongly to the line to see off the late flourish of the $3.30 favourite Fukubana by 0.30 lengths.

By getting first run on Fukubana, who was carrying a massive 10kg more than Carravilla (62kg to 52kg), McColm had ensured that Carravilla would be able to make every use of her substantial weight advantage over the main fancy, and that Fukubana would have to carry his heavy weight all the way in a tough chase to the line.

Carravilla, who is now a six time winner with nine minor places from twenty-four starts, gave McColm the second leg of a race-to-race riding double after the young rider had saluted aboard the Robert Heathcote trained Aurora Blaze two races earlier.