Briefs

Ghostzapper beats Smarty Jones for horse of the year

By Times wire
Published January 25, 2005

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. - Ghostzapper won 2004 horse of the year at the 34th annual Eclipse Awards on Monday. Ghostzapper received 174 votes to 95 for Smarty Jones .

Smarty Jones was named champion 3-year-old male, receiving 265 of the 274 votes cast by writers and editors who cover horse racing and by members of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association. Ghostzapper received 269 of 274 votes for champion older male.

Azeri won her third straight award as the nation's outstanding older filly or mare. Speightstown was voted top sprinter. The award for the top trainer went to Todd Pletcher . John Velazquez was named champion jockey, earning his first award and ending Jerry Bailey ' s run of four straight. The other winners: Declan's Moon (2-year-old male), Sweet Catomine (2-year-old female), Ashado (3-year-old female), Kitten's Joy (male turf horse), Ouija Board (female turf horse), Hirapour (steeplechase), Kenneth and Sarah Ramsey (owner), Frank Stronach (breeder) and Brian Hernandez Jr . (apprentice jockey).

USF hosts MLS exhibition

The Kansas City Wizards and the Chicago Fire will play a Major League Soccer exhibition Feb.24 at the USF Soccer Stadium in Tampa, with proceeds benefiting the Bulls men's soccer program. General admission is $10 in advance, $15 the day of the game. Tickets are available at Ticketmaster.com and the USF athletics ticket office in the Sun Dome. For information, call 1-800-462-8557.

U.S. CAPTAIN OUT: Claudio Reyna will miss the Feb. 9 World Cup qualifier with a leg injury.

FSU freshman earns honor

FSU freshman Walter Dix was named the ACC men's track athlete of the week for his performance at the Niswonger Invitational in Johnson City, Tenn. He won the 60 and 200 meters, posting NCAA provisional qualifying times. ... Miami senior Kim Barrett was named the ACC indoor track and field performer of the week. She won the shot put and weight throw with school-record tosses at a meet in Houston.

Maier wins World Cup race

Hermann Maier won a super-giant slalom in Kitzbuehel, Austria, for his first World Cup victory this season, and Daron Rahlves of the United States was second despite a somersaulting spill two weeks ago. World Cup overall leader Bode Miller shared fifth place.

SAILING: For the first time, the winner in each of the nine National Offshore One Design (NOOD) Regatta Series events will qualify for the Caribbean Rendezvous Championships in Antigua. The first slot goes to the winner of the St. Petersburg race on Feb.18-20.

DRUG TESTING: China punished 17 athletes for using performance-enhancing drugs, imposing penalties that ranged from fines to competition bans of up to two years.

GOLF: Whistling Straits in Kohler, Wis., will host the 2010 and 2015 PGA Championships and the 2020 Ryder Cup.

OBIT: Retired jockey Roger Danjean , 60, who won more than 700 races in his 30-year career, was killed in a car crash Saturday night in Hollywood, Fla.

[Last modified January 25, 2005, 01:20:40]