LEXINGTON, Ky. – Fast approaching the one-year mark of one of the greatest upsets in racing history, Rich Strike is still out to prove he is no fluke – although his trainer, Eric Reed, remains unfazed about any derogatory comments directed at his 2022 Kentucky Derby winner. “They don’t bother me at all,” Reed said. “We won the Derby. That ought to be enough for anybody, I’d think.” Well before dawn Friday at Keeneland, Reed sent Rich Strike through a five-furlong workout in 59.80 seconds in preparing the Keen Ice colt for his 4-year-old debut, which is scheduled to come in the Grade 2 Alysheba on the May 5 Kentucky Oaks undercard at Churchill Downs. Reed had been considering the Grade 3 Ben Ali here next Saturday at Keeneland as a comeback spot, but said, “I want to have him 100 percent tight and right, and I feel like right now I’m just maybe a work short of that with him.” :: Bet Keeneland with Confidence: Get DRF PPs, Picks, and Betting Strategies. Shop Now.  Rich Strike, owned by the RED TR-Racing of Tulsa oilman Rick Dawson, has gone unraced since finishing last of six in the Grade 1 Clark on Nov. 25 at Churchill. Three of four races between his Derby win and the Clark resulted in Beyer Speed Figures ranging from 101 to 106. In plotting out this year, Reed already is working backward from the Breeders’ Cup Classic, to be run Nov. 4 at Santa Anita. After the 1 1/16-mile Alysheba, Rich Strike will race twice more at Churchill, in the Grade 1 Stephen Foster on July 1 and the Grade 2 Lukas Classic in September, with maybe another race mixed in there somewhere. “That’s his track,” Reed said. “That gives him three graded stakes at Churchill this year.” Regarding the legacy that Rich Strike will eventually leave behind, Reed is confident the colt will eventually quiet his critics. It hasn’t escaped his notice that Rich Strike is winless since the Derby. “He’ll win again,” said Reed. “His best year is probably coming up. He’s not the only horse to win the Derby and not win again for a while. If he was in the right barn, nobody would talk about him the way they’re doing now. I think when this year is over, he’ll speak for himself.” After 1974 Derby winner Cannonade failed to win again, all 19 Derby winners from Foolish Pleasure (1975) through Sea Hero (1993) won at least one more time. But starting in 1994 with Go for Gin, a whopping 10 Derby winners did not win again, the others being Grindstone (1996), Monarchos (2001), Barbaro (2006), Mine That Bird (2009), Super Saver (2010), Orb (2013), Nyquist (2016), Always Dreaming (2017), and Country House (2019). Rich Strike would be next, although Reed believes the drought might even end in the Alysheba despite the 1 1/16-mile distance not being ideal for the stretch-running chestnut. “He’ll have some pace to run at,” he said. “And there’s always that long stretch. If nothing else, it’ll be a great prep for the Stephen Foster. But, absolutely, I do think he’s better this year than he ever was.” :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.