The Ladbrokes Launceston Cup is the highlight of the Tasmanian Summer of Racing with the 2023 edition getting underway this Wednesday.
First run in 1865, the Group 3 event is run over 2400m under handicap conditions.
We’ve gone through the history books and picked out five of the best winners of the iconic Tassie race.
Eastender – 2019
Eastender etched his name in history when he won the Tasmanian Treble, taking out the Devonport, Hobart and Launceston Cups in the same year in 2019.
He was the first horse since Brallos in 1976-77 to complete the treble.
He finished his career with 11 race wins and over $600k in prize money.
Big Duke – 2017
Australian Bloodstock sent Big Duke to Tasmania in 2017 to tackle the Launceston Cup and their tough gelding produced an enormous effort over the concluding stages to win the race.
It was a great period for the horse who went on to win the Manion Cup, Chairman’s Handicap, St Leger, and then place in the Group 1 Sydney Cup and Metropolitan before finishing fourth behind Rekindling in the Melbourne Cup.
St Andrews – 2000, 2002, 2003
These stories are what make racing great.
St Andrews started out as a lead pony for the Blacker stable and after showing some promise they decided to give the gelding a chance on the race track as a four-year-old.
He would go on to win 11 races and just shy of $600k in prize money including almost winning the Launceston Cup four times in a row!
He won the race in 2000, 2002, and 2003 and ran second in the race in 2001.
Oh, and he cost just $200.
Free Beer – 1995, 1996
Free Beer is not only a very popular gelding because of its name.
He is the longest-priced winner of the feature race, saluting at $66 in 1995 before proving the win was no fluke by winning the race 12 months later.
Strop – 1866, 1869, 1974, 1876
At a mammoth 16.1 hands, Strop forever etched his name in Launceston folklore, winning the race four times over a 10-year period.
The last of his Cup wins came as a 14-year-old!