Running horses twice at Kentucky Downs’s seven-day turf meet spread over two weeks once was an occasional happenstance. Now it qualifies as a trend.

Trainers who entered a horse in a second race include 2023 meet-leading trainer Brendan Walsh, Hall of Famer Richard Mandella, meet leader Joe Sharp, Saffie Joseph Jr. and Larry Rivelli.

Irish icon Aidan O’Brien entered Greenfinch in Saturday’s Ladies Marathon (G3) as well as Wednesday’s closing-day feature, the Dueling Grounds Oaks, though no decision has been made about the second race.

All the trainers interviewed stressed that their horses would run back at the meet only if they were doing extremely well.

Take Irish Aces. Pocket Aces Racing’s 4-year-old gelding won the opening-day Tapit Stakes and is scheduled to run in Saturday’s Mint Millions (G3). Walsh said such quick turnarounds are commonplace in Europe and Australia. He believes that horses rebound more quickly out of turf races than on dirt, especially when they aren’t running on the anti-bleeder medication Lasix, a diuretic.

“If you did that in Europe, nobody blinks an eye,” said Walsh, who in 2020 won a Kentucky Downs maiden and allowance race in one week with Born Great.

Walsh said Irish Aces “ran so well the first day, and there’s nothing really for him for a while. If he has a good week, we’ll run him. If for some reason we don’t think he’s doing good going in there, we won’t. But it looks now like we’ll run because it seems like he came out of the race great.

“He can be competitive in there on form. He’s a horse I was waiting for him to take the next step, and I think he took it last week. So strike while the iron’s hot.”

Rivelli wanted to get another race in One Timer before he ran in this Saturday’s Turf Sprint (G2). The 5-year-old gelding finished second by a head in an allowance race last Saturday, only his second start since last year’s Turf Sprint, which he lost on a head bob. As a 3-year-old, One Timer won Kentucky Downs’s Franklin-Simpson at 20-1 odds.

“Obviously it’s not ideal. But for $2 million, and he’s doing really well, so we’re not going to miss the dance,” Rivelli, who also plans to run Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint winner Nobals in the Turf Sprint, said by phone. “I thought he’d win, but he just barely got beat. All I know is he’s run there three times: He won a $600,000 race, he got beat an inch and a nose in the others.”

Joseph has four Kentucky Downs runners whom he entered back in a second race. They include the French-bred Cash Equity, third in an overnight handicap Sept. 1, in the Mint Millions.

“We didn’t know if he was going to get into the Millions, so you can’t wait and see,” he said. “So we went into the first race, and he ran well and liked the (course) configuration and it was the first time I was able to run him at a one-turn mile. He is a horse that always comes late. You could have argued that he could have possibly won if he got out a little bit earlier. Under the circumstances, how he bounced out of it, for a million dollars, it’s worth trying it again.”

Mandella apparently had a similar idea, leaving the overnight handicap’s winner, Goliad, at Kentucky Downs for the Mint Millions as well.

Joseph also has Reach for the Rose, third in last Sunday’s Juvenile Sprint, back in Sunday’s Kentucky Downs Juvenile Mile, both worth $1 million for Kentucky-breds and $500,000 for others.

“Kentucky Downs is probably the only track where you are happy finishing third,” Joseph said. “You get $100,000 — that is pretty rewarding. I thought he could win. He is a talented horse.”

Mean Eileen won a maiden race here Sunday, and Sharp entered her in this Sunday’s Kentucky Downs Juvenile Fillies, also worth $1 million for Kentucky-breds and $500,000 for others.

“We’re going to play it right up until the race,” Sharp said. “Right now she’s eating really well. Her energy level seems really good. It’s not a typical move of ours, by any means. What I have found out down here is if a horse likes the course, which she obviously has proved she does, and seems to win comfortably enough, it definitely makes you more prone to want to take a shot. But it’s all about her. As long as she keeps cleaning her feed.

“I texted my owners before the entries came out and said, ‘Don’t get mad, also don’t get excited. Please remain emotionless and we’ll play it day by day.’ As of today I couldn’t be happier. For that kind of money, as long as it’s in the horse’s best interest, you can’t not do it.”

Last year, Steve Asmussen finished second with Aspenite in an opening-day allowance race for 2-year-olds who were offered at Keeneland’s September yearling sale the year before. Eleven days later he won the Kentucky Downs Juvenile Mile. Asmussen is trying a similar feat with Tiztastic, who like Aspenite is owned by Winchell Thoroughbreds. One difference: Tiztastic won the Keeneland sale allowance race.

“He went over the course well; he’s very proud of himself coming out of it,” Asmussen said. “He’s a big, beautiful horse who is very physical, and we feel like it will be another exercise for him. Maybe he can do one better (than Aspenite) and win them both.”