The Coronation Cup was inaugurated in 1985 to commemorate the installation of AzIan Shah as the Sultan of Perak.

The inaugural winner was aptly named BIG CHIEF, ridden by American jockey Declan Murphy. Big Chief was trained by Ivan Allan.

One of the most memorable winners of the Cup was HE'S DEWAN. In 1987, he rose from Restricted Terms to capture the Cup. The Malcolm Thwaites-trained He’s Dawan earned a crack at the Hong Kong Invitation Cup two months later but failed to make any impact.

The following year, HE'S DEWAN made a clean sweep of Agong Gold Cup, the Penang Sprint Trophy and the Sultan Gold Vase, run on the same afternoon as the Coronation Cup.

Drama unfold in 1989 when Malcolm Thwaites-trained WORLD COURT (P K Yeap) upset a huge betting plunge by the connections of  WAR PLAN who had switched jockey David Ow Yang for Tan Soo Beng at the eleventh hour.

Only once, in 1997, was the weight-for-age race not run over 1,600m. That was when the Ipoh long course was closed for repairs and it was staged over 1,800m instead. The winner was FIRE PHOENIX II, trained by W K Seow who has won the race as a jockey astride HE'S DEWAN.

Three Coronation Cup winners have gone to become ‘equine millionaires’. The Francis Nathan-trained CONFIDENCE V won the Cup in 1996 and went on to win the Yang Di Pertua Negeri Gold Cup.

Tan Soo Beng-trained BALLISTIC emulated the feat in 2000. In winning the 2000 Coronation Cup, Catherine Treymane became the first woman jockey to win the "mile" event.

CONFLUENCE became the first horse to win the Cup twice when she triumphed in 2002 and 2003. GOLDEN ACE emulated the feat in 2005 and 2006.