BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. -- Smarty Jones came up short again, this time in the race for Horse of the Year.

And he even had a big head start.

Ghostzapper, who capped an unbeaten season with a dazzling Breeders' Cup Classic victory, easily won Horse of the Year honors at Monday night's Eclipse Awards dinner despite not making his first start of 2004 until July 4.

The horses never raced against each other, with Smarty Jones dominating the 3-year-old division the first half of the year and Ghostzapper taking charge in the second half by beating younger and older horses.

Smarty Jones captivated the nation by winning the Kentucky Derby and Preakness before his bid to win the Triple Crown ended with a narrow loss to Birdstone in the Belmont Stakes.

But the popular 3-year-old colt was a distant second to Ghostzapper in the voting.

"It's a great honor," said Hall of Famer Bobby Frankel, who trains Ghostzapper. "It wouldn't have been a disgrace if we got beat. The other horse deserved it, too. It's just a shame somebody had to lose."

While Ghostzapper didn't run in a race for the first six months of last year, Smarty Jones competed in what turned out to be the final race of his career nearly a month earlier, when he lost June 5 by a length to fast-finishing Birdstone in the Belmont Stakes.

"We had a great year," said John Servis, who trained Smarty Jones. "I'm not crying. Our goal was to make it to the Kentucky Derby and we came a length and a half short of winning the Triple Crown."

The 4-year-old Ghostzapper received 174 votes to Smarty Jones' 95 in balloting by turf writers and racing secretaries. Ghostzapper also ran away with the Eclipse Award for best older horse, while Smarty Jones was the overwhelming choice as champion 3-year-old male.

2004 Eclipse Awards
Horse of the Year	Ghostzapper
Two-Year-Old Male	Declan's Moon
Two-Year-Old Female	Sweet Catomine
Three-Year-Old Male	Smarty Jones
Three-Year-Old Female	Ashado
Older Male	Ghostzapper
Older Female	Azeri
Sprinter	Speightstown
Male Turf Horse	Kitten's Joy
Female Turf Horse	Ouija Board (GB)
Steeplechase	Hirapour (IRE)
Owner	Kenneth and Sarah Ramsey
Breeder	Adena Springs
Jockey	John Velazquez
Apprentice Jockey	Brian Hernandez Jr.
Trainer	Todd Pletcher

The debate over Horse of the Year began the instant Ghostzapper dominated perhaps the toughest field to ever run in the Breeders' Cup Classic on Oct. 30 -- nearly three months after Smarty Jones was retired and all but forgotten.

Ghostzapper won all four of his starts in 2004 and earned $2.59 million. He won the 1¼-mile Classic in a record 1:59, beating such stars as Azeri, Pleasantly Perfect, Roses in May and Birdstone.

Ghostzapper was able to spread his races out. Smarty Jones, who won six of seven starts last year, didn't have the same luxury, since the Triple Crown races are run in a span of five weeks.

The Pennsylvania-bred Smarty Jones might have lost some votes after owners Pat and Roy Chapman announced the colt's retirement due to minor ankle ailments that might have healed and allowed him to return to the races.

The retirement deal was worth about $40 million, and came after months of promises by the Chapmans that they planned to keep racing their colt.

Ghostzapper, who won the Tom Fool, the Iselin Handicap and the Woodward before taking the Classic, is in training for his 5-year-old campaign.

Adena Springs, operated by Ghostzapper's owner Frank Stronach, won the Eclipse Award as top breeder, ending Juddmonte Farms' three-year run in the category.

Azeri, the 2002 Horse of the Year who was retired last month, won her third straight Eclipse Award as the top older female horse. The 6-year-old mare won three Grade 1 races in 2004 and beat out Sightseek in the voting, 179-91.

Declan's Moon, who missed the Breeders' Cup Juvenile but won all three of his starts, was the champion 2-year-old male; and Sweet Catomine, impressive winner of the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies, was a near unanimous choice as champion 2-year-old filly.

Declan's Moon outpointed Afleet Alex 188-44, and Sweet Catomine collected 273 of 274 votes (Runway Model got the other vote).

Smarty Jones took 3-year-old male honors over Kitten's Joy 265-7, and Ashado won over Ouija Board (257-14) as top 3-year-old female.

The record-setting combination of Todd Pletcher and John Velazquez also broke through with their first Eclipse Awards.

Pletcher ended Frankel's four-year run as the top trainer by leading the nation in purse earnings with $17,282,744. Pletcher trains Ashado and Speightstown, who won the Eclipse for top sprinter over Pico Central, 157-101.

"Ultimately, it's the highest achievement you can have," Pletcher said. "It means a lot. For me, particularly, it's a lifetime achievement."

Velazquez, Pletcher's regular rider, ended Jerry Bailey's four-year reign as the top jockey. Velazquez led the nation in purse earnings with $22,203,756, and beat Edgar Prado, 241-14.

Kitten's Joy won the Eclipse Award as the top male turf horse, and was just one of several stars owned by Ken and Sarah Ramsey, who won their first Eclipse Award as racing's top owners. The Ramseys also campaigned Nothing to Lose and Roses in May, a winner in his first five starts in '04 before finishing second in the Breeders' Cup Classic.

Ramsey apologized for trying to pay another owner to scratch a horse from a Dec. 31 race at Turfway Park in Florence, Ky., who his horse could run. Ramsey was suspended for a week and fined $25,000 by the Kentucky Horse Racing Authority on Jan. 17.

"I made a mistake," Ramsey said, adding he was out of the country from Jan. 9-22 so hadn't had an opportunity to apologize previously.

"I have accepted full responsibility in this matter," Ramsey said. "I deeply regret the incident and the negative publicity it has caused my family and the industry."

Other Eclipse winners announced Monday were: