GLOUCESTER, ON — There have been bumps and detours along the way, but Rene Laarman is confident that three-year-old trotting colt Hallo is heading into Friday’s $130,000 Gold Final at Rideau Carleton Raceway on solid footing.

“We had a little bit of a problem with him in the summer, but I think the little bit of rest did him good,” says Laarman, who trains Hallo for Melvin Hartman of Ottawa and Charles Armstrong of Brampton. “He’s coming around at the right time.”

Hallo finished second in his elimination last week and will start from Post 2 in Friday’s Gold Final. The young trotter heads into the Rideau Carleton contest on a month long roll that started with a 1:55.2 victory in an Aug. 26 overnight at Mohawk Racetrack, included a runner-up finish in his Sept. 1 Simcoe Stake division at Mohawk, and culminated with last week’s second-place finish, which landed the gelding in a Gold Final for the first time in his career.

The consistent son of Angus Hall and Armbro McKeown has only missed the top five once in his 15 race sophomore campaign, but in his first two Gold Elimination appearances his fourth and fifth-place efforts were not enough to earn him a spot in the final.

“He’s always been a pretty nice horse,” says Laarman. “Hopefully he’ll get a good trip on Friday night and get some money.

“They are all good colts in there, they all made the final, so whoever gets the best trip is probably going to win the race,” he adds.

Hallo was one of two colts driver Trevor Ritchie qualified for the final, and the reinsman went with elimination winner Smarty Jims (Post 6), leaving Laarman to find a new driver for his charge. Phil Hudon answered the call and will step into the gelding’s race bike for the first time, but Laarman says the driver change should not make a difference to the easy going Hallo.

“As much as you like to see a regular driver on a trotter, I really don’t think it matters with this horse,” notes the trainer. “He’s had an assortment of drivers and it hasn’t really bothered him.

“He has some gate speed; he can do pretty well whatever you want, race from up close, on the front, or from off the pace,” he continues.

In addition to Hallo’s workmanlike attitude on the racetrack, Laarman says the half-brother to $332,982 Remarkable Image also has a likeable personality when he is not working.

“He’s got a real character about him,” says the Guelph resident, “You know he’s in the barn.”

Hallo will make the trip to Ottawa from his Campbellville barn this Thursday afternoon in preparation for Friday’s race, which is the eighth on Rideau Carleton Raceway’s 6:30 pm program.

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