A.P. Indy Easily Wins Division : Eclipse awards: His 276-1 voting margin over Lil E. Tee for top 3-year-old bodes well for colt’s chances of becoming horse of the year.

The score in the Kentucky Derby was Lil E. Tee 1, A.P. Indy 0.

Some say there is no substitute for winning the Derby, but what happened Monday, as the voting for the 1992 Eclipse Awards was announced, came close. A.P. Indy, who was scratched from the Derby because of a hoof injury, was voted champion 3-year-old male by a 276-1 margin, with Lil E. Tee getting the only other vote.

A.P. Indy’s landslide in the divisional voting indicates that he will be a big a winner when the horse-of-the-year announcement is made at the Eclipse dinner Friday night in Century City.

Of the two other horse-of-the-year finalists, Sky Classic was an easy winner over Fraise in the voting for best male turf horse, and Best Pal failed to win in his division, getting outvoted by Pleasant Tap in a close race for best older horse on dirt.

After winning the Derby, Lil E. Tee finished fifth two weeks later while suffering pulmonary bleeding in the Preakness, then underwent ankle surgery and was sidelined for the rest of the year.

A.P. Indy also skipped the Preakness, returning in June to win the Belmont Stakes and capping the season with a victory in the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Gulfstream Park in October. For the year, he won five stakes and had a third and a fifth in seven starts, earning $2.6 million.

“If there was a single thing that made him so effective, it would be determination,” trainer Neil Drysdale said.

“He simply did not want to lose. Every time he ran, he was determined to finish ahead of everyone else.”

Drysdale and A.P. Indy’s jockey, Eddie Delahoussaye, were not as successful in the Eclipse voting. Drysdale finished third in the balloting for best trainer, behind Ron McAnally and Bobby Frankel. Delahoussaye was second to Kent Desormeaux in the voting for best jockey.

The Eclipse Award electorate consists of turf writers, Daily Racing Form representatives and track racing secretaries. To win, a champion must register a plurality from at least two of the three voting groups.

Both Desormeaux and McAnally won Eclipse Awards for the third time. McAnally, whose stable earned $8.2 million and accounted for 11 major stakes victories, trained Paseana, who was voted best older filly or mare on dirt. The other horse winners: --Flawlessly, female on grass. --Saratoga Dew, 3-year-old filly. --Gilded Time, 2-year-old male. --Eliza, 2-year-old female. --Rubiano, sprinter. --Lonesome Glory, steeplechaser.

Will Farish, who bred A.P. Indy in Kentucky in partnership with William S. Kilroy, was voted best breeder.

A.P. Indy, a son of Seattle Slew, who was horse of the year in 1977, and a grandson of Secretariat, who won national honors in 1973, was the highest priced yearling sold at auction in 1989 when Japanese businessman Tomonori Tsurumaki bought him for $2.9 million.

Farish headed a group that bought a breeding interest in the horse late last year and A.P. Indy will stand at stud this season at Farish’s Lane’s End Farm near Versailles, Ky.

Other Eclipse winners: --Prince Khalid Abdullah’s Juddmonte Farms, owner. --Jesus Bracho, apprentice jockey.

All of the Eclipse winners won by 3-0 group votes except Pleasant Tap, Lonesome Glory and Juddmonte. Pleasant Tap, who finished second to A.P. Indy in the Breeders’ Cup Classic, won the support of the Racing Form and the turf writers, but finished in a tie with Best Pal among racing secretaries who voted.

Lonesome Glory won the vote of the turf writers and the Form, but was outpointed by Highland Bud among the racing secretaries.

The turf writers favored John and Betty Mabee’s Golden Eagle Farm for best owner, but the vote of the Form and the racing secretaries went to Juddmonte. Juddmonte led in the overall vote, 83-79.

In the vote for outstanding breeder, which was done by a committee representing the three sponsoring groups, Juddmonte finished second to Farish.