The 2016 Kentucky Derby is on May 6, and horse racing fans around the world can’t wait for the Kentucky Derby lines to come out so they can try to figure out which horse will be this year’s American Pharoah.

One of the most compelling story lines in this year’s Derby is the return of trainer Donnie Von Hemel to Churchill Downs. Von Hemel became a trainer in 1984. Five years later, his horse Clever Trevor qualified for the 1989 Derby.

Clever Trevor finished 13th at the Derby, and Von Hemel never had a horse qualify for the Derby again until this year. After a 27-year absence from the most popular horse racing event, Von Hemel is glad to be back and is hoping his horse does better this time around.

In a recent interview, Von Hemel said he appreciates the event even more after struggling to get back into it for 27 years. Von Hemel said he was fortunate to have made it to the Derby in 1989, but he didn’t appreciate it as much as he does now because he was young and thought he would be back soon.

Despite having a lot of good horses over the years, Von Hemel couldn’t get them to the Kentucky Derby. Von Hemel said he had a few opportunities to return in the 27 years since he has been away from the Derby, but he didn’t see the point in entering a horse in the event if the horse didn’t have a chance to win it.

This time around, he is back at the Derby because he has a horse that is a live longshot to win the race. Von Hemel is the trainer of Suddenbreakingnews, the son of Mineshaft and the second place finisher at the Arkansas Derby.

Interestingly, Clever Trevor was also the runner-up at the Arkansas Derby in 1989. Unlike Clever Trevor, Suddenbreakingnews has been one of the best horses on the Kentucky Derby qualifying circuit and has three first place finishes, four second place finishes, and one fifth place finish in eight races.

Despite his success, Von Hemel knows Suddenbreakingnews will need a little luck to win the Derby. Von Hemel, who is now 54, comes from a family of horse trainers. His father Donnie Sr. is in the Nebraska Racing Hall of Fame, and his brother Kelly is also an active trainer.

Even though Clever Trevor finished a disappointing 13th at the 1989 Kentucky Derby, Van Hemel believes he was one of the best three-year-old horses at the time. Clever Trevor validated Von Hemel’s belief by winning the Arlington Classic a couple of months after the Derby, and finished with career earnings of over $1.3 million, which wasn’t bad.

Since the 1989 Derby, Van Hemel has enjoyed a lot of success as a trainer even though his horses never won a Triple Crown race. Von Hemel has over 2,000 victories in his career, which includes the 2011 Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile won by his horse Caleb’s Posse.

When he was asked what had changed the most since his last trip to the Derby, Von Hemel said the use of social media has made his job tougher because owners sometimes get information before he does, which keeps him on his toes.