Unrivaled wide in Japanese Derby

Unrivaled will have to be at his best at Tokyo Racecourse on Sunday if he is to complete a classic double in the $3.5 million Tokyo Yushun, or Japanese Derby, as he has drawn widest of all in post 18 for the 1 1/2-mile test.

Trained by Yasuo Tomomichi, he is fresh from a 1 1/2-length victory in the 1 1/4-mile Japanese 2000 Guineas at Nakayama on April 19. He appears a cinch to stay the Derby distance, as his sire, Neo Universe, won this race in 2003, while his broodmare sire is the redoubtable Sadler's Wells. Yasunari Iwata will have the job of finding a good striking position from his unfortunate draw.

Hoping to capitalize on any mistake Unrivaled might make are the Guineas runner-up Triumph March and Seiun Wonder, Japan's champion 2-year-old who was third in the Guineas.

The Kentucky-bred Break Run Out, the lone non-Japanese-bred in the race, won the 1 1/8-mile Kyodo News Service Hai at Tokyo. A son of Smart Strike, he should appreciate the step up in distance, as his dam, Queue, won the 1 1/2-mile Long Island Handicap in 2001.