V Os Filo won the $38,200 Cash Caravan Stakes Sunday at Canterbury Park with rider Jose Montoya aboard. The 3-year-old Minnesota-bred quarter horse has now won three of nine career starts, including the Bob Morehouse Stakes, and $54,010 in purse money for owner and breeder Rodney Von Ohlen of Alpha, Minn. V Os Filo is trained by Ed Ross Hardy.
“This is when an owner feels the best,” Von Ohlen said from the winner’s circle.
V Os Filo won by three-quarters of a length over Mountain Rake, covering the 440-yard distance in 22.17 seconds. Little Bit Brandy, winner of this race in 2015, was third. V Os Filo paid $4.60 as the wagering favorite.
“He was fresh. He was ready,” Hardy said of the winner. Hardy has now won the Cash Caravan four times.
Hardy has the majority of his stable at Canterbury and seven horses at Ruidoso Downs, where he has spent most of the summer. “This is my only weekend here,” the Canterbury Hall of Fame trainer said.
“My crew has done a great job,” Hardy said. “My wife Kari runs the show.”
Von Ohlen won the Cash Caravan in 2005 and now hopes to see V Os Filo in the Minnesota Quarter Horse Derby, with a $45,000 purse, on Aug. 21. “I want to win one more yet,” Von Ohlen said.
