THE AAMI Launceston Cup has a history that outdates the Hobart Cup by 10 years.

The Launceston Cup was first run in 1865, some 10 years before Hobart could boast its own Cup race.

The race took a prominent place in Australian turf history from its first running as it was run over the marathon distance of three miles but was shortened to 14 furlongs in 1874 and eventually a mile and a half in 1892.

It remained a 12 furlong event until 1967 when it was again increased to 13 furlongs (2600m) and remained at that trip until 2001 apart from two 2400m runnings in 1981 and 1982.

Since 2002 the Launceston Cup has again been run as a 2400m Group 3 race, complementing the Hobart Cup (2200m) as the second leg of Tasmania's summer staying double.

The Hobart Cup-Launceston Cup double has been won 16 times in the same year, Ella being the first to complete the feat in 1875.

It was common for horses to win both Cups in the latter part of the 19th century but only eight horses have managed to land the double since 1900.

Perhaps the most notable would be Brallos, a revered Tasmanian champion who won the Cups double twice in 1976 and again in 1977.

Since the Brallos years only two horses have won the Hobart-Launceston Cups double and both in the last five years - St Andrews in 2002 and Zacielo in 2004.

St Andrews ranks beside Brallos as one of the great modern day Tasmanian stayers, winning the Launceston Cup three times in 2000, 2002 and 2003 and also finishing second in 2001.

He was trained by George Blacker, a member of one Tasmania's most successful racing families, and was ridden in two of his Launceston Cup wins by Stephen Maskiell and once by Noel Callow.

However Strop, a remarkable performer in the 1800s, must surely be acclaimed as the greatest Launceston Cup winner.

He defied his age to win the race four times over a period of 10 years between 1866 and 1876. He was a six-year-old when he won the race for the first time in 1866 and was 16 when won the Hobart-Launceston Cup double in 1876 at the end of his amazing career.

In modern times the other notable winners have included Streak and Summer Fleur.

Victorian-trained Streak gave the prestige of the Launceston Cup a big boost in 1999 when he went on to win the Group One Sydney Cup within months of his Tasmanian success.

Streak was trained by Robert Smerdon and was the first of his two Launceston Cup winners. Smerdon won the race for a second time in 2007 with Hofmeister, who set a new race record time of 2.28.27.

Summer Fleur, the 1980 Launceston Cup winner, will be best remembered as the dam of the 1988 Melbourne Cup winner Empire Rose.

The Launceston Cup has not been a good race for three-year-olds with no winners coming from the age group since 1925.

No horse has won the Tasmanian Derby-Launceston Cup double in the same year but three winners of the Elwick classic have won the Cup at Mowbray in subsequent years.

Over the last 15 years the Launceston Cup has been dominated by mainland stables with the only Tasmanian-trained winner since 1998 being George Blacker's triple winner St Andrews.

Winning trainers have included Victorians Robert Smerdon twice, Ken Sweeney, Tony Vasil and Peter Moody, Adelaide's Leon Macdonald and Ross Stitt from Taree in NSW.

Champion jockey Damien Oliver has ridden two Launceston Cup winners (King's Landing/Streak) while other top riders to win the race in recent times include Tasmania's homegrown star Craig Newitt, Noel Callow, Robert Thompson, Brad Rawiller and Adelaide's record-breaking female jockey Clare Lindop.