LOUISVILLE, Ky. – One day shy of the year anniversary of his stunning upset in the Kentucky Derby, Rich Strike will make his belated 4-year-old debut Friday at Churchill Downs in the Grade 2, $600,000 Alysheba Stakes. While Rich Strike will certainly have name recognition in his favor, his lack of recency, some missed training time, a salty group of older horses and a 1 1/16-mile distance that is likely shorter than he prefers make this a difficult spot in which to return. “We don’t have any ambitions he is going to win the race, but it should set up him for the Stephen Foster,” said trainer Eric Reed, referring to the Grade 1, $1 million race here on July 1. Rich Strike, who shocked the world winning the Derby at 80-1, was given a well-deserved break following the Clark last fall, when he finished a non-threatening sixth. His connections had thought about a trip to Dubai in March, but the travel logistics didn’t quite work out, Reed said. The Ben Ali at Keeneland in late April became the next comeback target, but Rich Strike suffered a minor foot injury, known as a grabbed quarter, where he missed four days of training, according to Reed. “He’s pretty eager to run, he’s been ready for about a month now,” Reed said. “He’s more mature this year, better behaved.” Sonny Leon will take his regular seat on Rick Strike from post 3. West Will Power and Art Collector meet again after finishing one-two in a fast renewal of the Grade 2 New Orleans Classic at Fair Grounds on March 25. West Will Power, trained by Brad Cox, stalked the pace-setting Treasury, took over at the head of the lane and ran away from Art Collector, who was coming off a victory in the $3 million Pegasus Stakes at Gulfstream in January. West Will Power won by 4 1/4 lengths. West Will Power had finished second to Proxy in the Clark last November and second to Last Samurai in the Razorback at Oaklawn in February before the New Orleans Classic. Two weeks ago, Proxy won the $1 million Oaklawn Handicap on April 22 by a head over Last Samurai, who had won the Grade 3 Razorback and Grade 3 Essex. “He’s run some big races,” said Cox, who trains West Will Power for Gary and Mary West. “He obviously was right there with Proxy last year in the Clark and I really like the way he came out of that New Orleans Classic. I think he’s had some time since and obviously he’s recovered.” West Will Power and Art Collector both carried 124 pounds in the New Orleans Classic. Despite West Will Power beating him last out, Art Collector carries top weight of 123 pounds while West Will Power carries 120. Trainer Bill Mott said he was pleased with the way Art Collector ran in New Orleans and was caught off guard by West Will Power’s effort. “I didn’t know what to make of the winner’s race,” Mott said. “That son of a gun looked like he was shot out of a cannon turning for home.” :: Bet the races on DRF Bets! Sign up with code WINNING to get a $250 Deposit Match, $10 Free Bet, and FREE DRF Formulator.  Art Collector, who breaks from the rail, could resort to the front-running tactics he had success with previously. Junior Alvarado rides. Last Samurai makes his fifth start of the year and wheels back in two weeks after finishing second in the $1 million Oaklawn Handicap for trainer D. Wayne Lukas. Last Samurai tried to rally on the inside of Stilleto Boy, but it got a little tight on him in midstretch. “He actually skimmed the rail, probably cost him,” Lukas said. “That one really hurt to let get away because I think he ran well enough to win.” Lukas said he is not concerned with the two-week turnaround. “He’s a big, strong, powerful horse that holds his weight well. He should handle that very well,” Lukas said. “I look forward to him running a strong one.” Luis Saez replaces Cristian Torres on Last Samurai, who breaks from post 2. Smile Happy, who finished third in the Oaklawn Mile, returns to Churchill Downs, where as a 2-year-old he won the Grade 2 Kentucky Jockey Club. Milliken comes off a second-level allowance win at Gulfstream for trainer Ian Wilkes. Giant Game, trained by Dale Romans, remains eligible for a first-level allowance race. The Alysheba goes as race 5 (12:43 p.m. post) on Friday’s card that begins at 10:30 a.m. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.