It has been seven months since Smarty Jones was last in a horse race, but racing fans have not forgotten him.

2004 Fans' Champions Awards

Horse of the Year Smarty Jones 61% Ghostzapper 39% 2-year-old filly Sweet Catomine 83% Balletto 6% Sense of Style 5% 2-year-old male Declan's Moon 44% Afleet Alex 21% Rockport Harbor 21% 3-year-old filly Ashado 65% Ouija Board 20% Stellar Jayne 4% 3-year-old male Smarty Jones 86% Kitten's Joy 6% Birdstone 5% Female sprinter Lady Tak 21% Society Selection 15% Bear Fan 13% Male sprinter Speightstown 49% Ghostzapper 22% Pico Central 21% Turf sprinter Cajun Beat 45% Soaring Free 31% Leroidesanimaux 13% Dirt miler Pico Central 38% Lion Heart 26% Azeri 22% Turf miler Singletary 35% Artie Schiller 23% Soaring Free 7% Turf female Ouija Board 65% Megahertz 8% Ticker Tape 7% Turf male Kitten's Joy 79% Better Talk Now 5% Kicken Kris 4% Older dirt female Azeri 66% Sightseek 23% Storm Flag Flying 4% Older dirt male Ghostzapper 68% Pleasantly Perfect 9% Funny Cide 8% Owner Ken and Sarah Ramsey 29% Someday Farm 28% Stronach Stable 12% Trainer Todd Pletcher 34% John Servis 28% Steve Asmussen 25% Jockey John Velazquez 40% Stewart Elliott 19% Edgar Prado 14%

The underdog colt who captured the imagination of the country last spring was an easy winner of "Horse of the Year" in ESPN.com's Fans' Champions Awards online voting for the best thoroughbreds of 2004.

The winners in 17 categories were announced Tuesday on "Wire to Wire," ESPN's weekly racing magazine show.

The now-retired Smarty Jones, whose stunning loss to Birdstone in the Belmont Stakes last June cost him the Triple Crown, received 61% of the fans' votes for Horse of the Year. That easily outdistanced the 39% support for Ghostzapper, the only other finalist and the fans' favorite in the older dirt male category.

And "Smarty" had coattails. His trainer, John Servis; jockey, Stewart Elliott; and owner, the Someday Farm of Roy and Patricia Chapman, each finished second in their respective human categories even though none of the three are finalists for the sport's Eclipse Awards, in which fans do not have a voice. Eclipse Award voting, which will be announced Monday, is conducted among media, publicists and racing officials.

Azeri was the only repeat "Fanny Award" winner, getting 66% of votes in the older dirt female division.

Predictably, Smarty Jones was also voted the best 3-year-old male. Other fan horse champions were Sweet Catomine (2-year-old filly), Declan's Moon (2-year-old male), Smarty Jones (3-year-old male), Ashado (3-year-old female), Speightstown (male sprinter), Lady Tak (female sprinter), Cajun Beat (turf sprinter), Pico Central (dirt miler), Singletary (turf miler), Kitten's Joy (turf male), Ouija Board (turf female), and Ghostzapper (older dirt male).

The closest voting in a horse category was for female sprinter, in which Lady Tak won with only 21% of the vote compared to 15% for Society Selection.

Todd Pletcher won the fan voting for champion trainer, edging Servis 34% to 28% with Steve Asmussen a close third at 25%.

John Velazquez was named top jockey, and Ken and Sarah Ramsey were top owners by the slimmest margin of any category. The Ramseys gathered 29% of fan votes, compared to 28% for the Chapmans.