While thousands of guests made their way through the venue to find the perfect spot, some enjoyed a more exclusive setting in one of the many marquees.

Young Racing Tasmania ambassador Holly Mason was a special guest at the event, hosting the Mitsubishi ASX and Aperol YRT marquee alongside Bachelorette Georgia Love.

Selected as an ambassador after featuring in The Examiner as the Face of the Launceston Cup in 2015, Ms Mason said she was excited to be part of another Cup event.

“Its not just about horse racing, it’s about having a fun day out in the sun, a couple of drinks … especially in Launnie when we get a public holiday, it’s the perfect opportunity,” she said.

“This side of racing has a lot of glamour attached to it, it’s the dressing up, it’s the fashion, it’s the florals, the millinery – I love all of that stuff.”

Also working with Young Racing Tasmania this year was PR professional and former Tasmanian Elizabeth Sattler.

Now living in Melbourne, Ms Sattler said she was excited to be back at the Cup after about 10 years.

“The Cup is definitely growing each year and Launceston certainly does it very well,” she said.

“It’s hard to compare with events like the Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival but as far as Tasmania goes, the Cup would have to be one of the best events.

“I think Launceston Cup is great because it’s a little bit more casual, which is great because it opens it up to a whole new demographic – and of course it’s a bit of fun.”

Next door to YRT was the What’s On In App marquee, hosted by City of Launceston alderman Darren Alexander, who said his aim was to bring “a bit of class back to the Cup”.

“We went to a lot of effort with the marquee because this is the premiere Cup race in Tasmania. We have people coming up from Hobart, from the mainland and they fill our restaurants, they fill our hotels, they all go shopping … it’s great for the local community,” he said.

“I really do genuinely believe the Launceston Cup is one of the best regional racing events in Australia, not just Tasmania. Everyone I know that comes in from interstate always rave about it.”

Having attended the annual celebration for about seven years, Mr Alexander said it got better every year.

“The council sees it as being one of the top five major events in Launceston ... we think it’s really important for the region. Events actually drive people to go around and enjoy themselves, and that’s a fantastic thing for Launceston.”