Aaron and Victoria Haberman are off to a fantastic start to the 2025 season as five of their first eight starts have ended with a photo in the winner's circle.
Two of those victories have come from a 3-year-old Army Mule colt named California Burrito, who has the Habermans on the Road to the Kentucky Derby for the very first time.
"It's the thrill of a lifetime," Aaron Haberman said about being on the Kentucky Derby (G1) trail during the March 3 episode of the "BloodHorse Monday" podcast presented by Ocala Breeders' Sales Company.
"BloodHorse Monday" is a new, hour-long podcast hosted by BloodHorse in partnership with Louisville, Ky.-based radio host Louis Rabaut. The show can be accessed on BloodHorse's YouTube channel, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeart, ESPN Louisville+ and espnlouisville.com. The show also airs in Louisville on ESPN 680/105.7, as well as other stations throughout the country.
That thrill took off when the Thomas Drury Jr.-trained colt aced his first start in stakes company in the Feb. 22 John Battaglia Memorial Stakes at Turfway Park, outdueling Baby Max in the stretch and earning 20 qualifying points for the Derby.
A California native who grew up attending Del Mar near San Diego as a fan and horseplayer, Haberman compared the Derby trail to being alive in a Pick 5 as they ready for the colt's next test in the March 22 Jeff Ruby Steaks (G3), also held at Turfway.
"I guess we're through three legs (of a Pick 5), waiting for the fourth leg before we get to the Derby," Haberman said.
Although there is plenty of excitement and "insane thoughts" about what the next two months may hold, the Habermans are trying to temper their expectations for the colt who topped their list at the 2023 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Select Yearling Sale, leading them to spend $60,000.
"He's an improving horse, but you watch this past weekend's races and you realize how tough things are," Haberman said. "Hopefully, he shows his stuff again in the Jeff Ruby and we see where we are. We're realistic. Having a good horse for us is dynamite. But when you see Sovereignty and Journalism, you know how deep the pool is."
The colt has already proven he can compete with some of the crop's best. In a November allowance optional claimer at Churchill Downs, he was runner-up by a length to Magnitude, who won the Risen Star Stakes (G2) in February by 9 3/4 lengths. California Burrito was 15 lengths clear of third in that allowance race, his first start against winners.
During the podcast interview, Haberman discussed further his entry into the sport, his relationship with Drury and apprentice jockey Irving Moncada, his impressions of the horse's development, why he named the horse California Burrito, and more.
Later in the show, OBS director of sales Tod Wojciechowski joined BloodHorse editorial director Frank Angst to preview the March 2-Year-Old in Training Sale, set to run March 11-13.
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