Ghostzapper voted Horse of the Year

Smarty Jones surely was America’s most popular racehorse after coming agonizingly close to winning the Triple Crown, yet rising star Ghostzapper was voted Horse of the Year – in a runaway.

The results were announced late Monday night at the Eclipse Awards dinner in Beverly Hills, Calif., and many racing fans probably are surprised with the decision.

How can the lovable 3-year-old colt from Philly be denied racing’s top honor after winning every race, including the Kentucky Derby and Preakness, before his defeat in the Belmont Stakes ended his Triple Crown try?

Let us attempt an explanation.

The 2004 racing season was divided into two parts: Smarty Jones owned the first half; Ghostzapper the second, thanks to a 4-for-4 record and his dazzling Breeders’ Cup Classic win.

Smarty Jones captivated the racing world and won the race everybody knows about – the Kentucky Derby. Two weeks later, the 3-year-old colt won the Preakness by a record 11 1/2 lengths. Then, seemingly unbeatable and about to join Seattle Slew as the only other undefeated Triple Crown champion, Smarty lost the Belmont by a length to Birdstone in front of a record crowd of 120,139.

Two months later, even though owners Pat and Roy Chapman kept promising that their star would keep racing, Smarty Jones was retired with ailing ankles in a deal worth about $40 million.

While there was a letdown after Smarty’s retirement, the 4-year-old Ghostzapper was just starting to strut his stuff. Before winning the $4 million Breeders’ Cup Classic, the colt won the 7-furlong Tom Fool Handicap on July 4, then posted a 10 3/4 -length win in the 1 1/8 -mile Iselin Handicap and a hard-fought neck victory in the 1 1/8 -mile Woodward Stakes.