Finalists announced for 2004 Eclipse Awards

The National Thoroughbred Racing Association, the National Turf Writers

Association and Daily Racing Form announced the finalists for the 2004 Eclipse

Awards on Wednesday. The year-end championship honors are named after the great 18th century

racehorse and sire Eclipse.

As expected, Kentucky Derby (G1) and Preakness S. (G1) winner

SMARTY JONES

(Elusive Quality), whose bid to become only the second undefeated Triple Crown

winner in history ended with a runner-up performance in the Belmont S. (G1), and

three-time Grade 1 winner

GHOSTZAPPER (Awesome Again), who concluded a perfect

four-for-four campaign with a three-length victory in the Breeders' Cup Classic

(G1), are among the finalists for the 34th annual Eclipse Awards that will be

presented on January 24 at the Regent Beverly Wilshire in Beverly Hills,

California.

Smarty Jones and Ghostzapper are the leading candidates for champion

three-year-old and older male honors, respectively, and both are expected to vie for the

title of Horse of the Year. The three finalists for that coveted title will not be

announced until the awards dinner, which will be televised live for the first

time by TVG, beginning at 9 p.m. (EST).

Most of the award winners appear to be foregone conclusions, but the sprint division

could go either way between

PICO CENTRAL (Brz) (Spend a Buck) and

SPEIGHTSTOWN

(Gone West). The older female division also features a close contest between

AZERI (Jade

Hunter) and

SIGHTSEEK (Distant View). The human categories, with the possible

exception of John Velazquez in the jockey category, are evenly matched.

Like last year, award winners will be determined by popular votes and not the

previous bloc system.

The 2004 Eclipse Award finalists (in alphabetical order) are:

Two-Year-Old Male:

AFLEET ALEX (Northern Afleet),

DECLAN'S MOON

(Malibu Moon),

WILKO (Awesome Again)

Two-Year-Old Female:

BALLETTO (UAE) (Timber Country),

RUNWAY MODEL (Petionville),

SWEET CATOMINE (Storm Cat)

Three-Year-Old Male:

BIRDSTONE (Grindstone),

KITTEN'S JOY (El Prado

[Ire]), Smarty Jones

Three-Year-Old Female:

ASHADO (Saint Ballado),

OUIJA BOARD (GB) (Cape

Cross [Ire]),

STELLAR JAYNE (Wild Rush)

Older Male: Ghostzapper,

PLEASANTLY PERFECT (Pleasant Colony),

ROSES

IN MAY (Devil His Due)

Older Female: Azeri, Sightseek,

STORM FLAG FLYING

(Storm Cat)

Sprinter: Ghostzapper, Pico Central, Speightstown

Male Turf Horse:

BETTER TALK NOW (Talkin Man), Kitten's Joy,

SINGLETARY (Sultry Song)

Female Turf Horse:

INTERCONTINENTAL (GB) (Danehill), Ouija Board,

TICKER TAPE (GB) (Royal Applause [GB])

Steeplechase:

HIRAPOUR (Ire) (Kahyasi),

MCDYNAMO (Dynaformer),

PREEMPTIVE STRIKE (Roanoke)

Owner: Michael Gill, Kenneth and Sarah Ramsey, Stronach Stables

Breeder: Adena Springs/Stronach Entities, John Franks, Juddmonte Farms

Trainer: Steve Asmussen, Robert Frankel, Todd Pletcher

Jockey: Rafael Bejarano, Edgar Prado, John Velazquez

Apprentice Jockey: Pablo Fragoso, Brian Hernandez Jr., Angel Quinones