 The inaugural running of the race in 1949 was run at Flemington Racecourse over a distance of one mile and was won by the English bred horse One Up.The race name from 1949 to 2010 was the J J Liston Stakes, named after J. J. Liston (a prominent horse owner and president of the Williamstown Race Club).In 2011 the race name was changed to honour Peter B. Lawrence, who served 12 years as Chairman of the MRC.