Jo McKinnon

(Source: Twitter)

We call her JoJo just as we call Gai Waterhouse Lady GaiGai and no one seems to mind.

Of course, JoJo is extremely well-known to racing fans in Oz where she was with Sky Sports and did a sterling job keeping everyone aware and abreast of news.

(Source: Courie Mail)

Then, alas, Cupid struck when she met trainer Richard Gibson aka Gibbo and The Ballad Of JoJo and Gibbo was sealed.

(Source: SCMP)

Today in Hong Kong, JoJo pops up hosting all simultaneous broadcasts of international races and makes these shows more stimulating.

Professional, knowledgable and almost bubbling over with enthusiasm when describing Gibbo’s charges- and why shouldn’t she get a charge outta them?- we often watch to see the backdrops JoJo is plonked in front of to give these shows more pizazz.

Our favorite to date were the tiny used oil drums used as a prop for JoJo and her co-host during the simultaneous broadcast of the races from Dubai. It looked like Alice’s tea party in Lilliput.

(Source: Shiratdevorah)

For a while there, we even thought that JoJo, bored with the whole thing, would stand up, beat that drum like Sheila E and dance the Watusi around it.

(Source: Tumblr)

Alas, no, this didn’t happen. Guess she saves that for Gibbo. Lucky man.

(Source: Peplums)

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Jenny Chapman

(Source: Racing Diary 2009)

A former DJ when in Oz- she’ll tell you this every time you meet her on the dance floor at Spicy Fingers- and from a racing family, Jenny From The Dock- as in Paddock- is one of our favorite people in racing.

(Source: Racing Diary 2009)

Thoroughly professional, to the point and extremely knowledgable, her paddock parade selections- and running around that paddock looking at the horses, making notes, giving her comments must be one helluva workout- are followed by many as the odds are they’re spot on.

If she’s had a bad day in the paddock, Jen drags hubby David to Spicy Fingers in Wanchai where she cuts loose on the dance floor like, well, Mustang Sally.

David tries to keep up and makes like Tarzan doing the Hully Gully, but it doesn’t really work: She Tarzan, he Jen.

(Source: Observatory Blog)

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The Trio Los Amigos

(Source: Armatucoso)

Actually, Darren Flindell, Clint Hutchison and Brett Davis, these are the co-hosts of the show Racing To Win which has been going on for about three decades in Hong Kong and way back to the days of Jim McGrath, Wadey, Parkey and, good gawd, David “I LOVE myself!” Raphael.

(Source: Twitter)

These Los Amigos take a more laid-back approach to the show which, apart from some speed maps and random snippets of music, plods along like a Class 5 galloper tired of it all. But what MORE can the Los Amigos DO? Break into song? Break wind?

(Source: Art Flakes)

Despite one idea to dress the trio up like a Barbershop Trio and have them sing their tips, this was quickly snuffed out and we’re back to the yacht club ‘look’ with Brett playing the role of the Harpo, Darren being Groucho and Clint as Chico.

The show has had a bit of a setback since the departure of Tim Clark. The interviews with The Hobbit were much appreciated as he practically screamed out, “IT DOES NOT MATTER WHERE IT IS DRAWN OR IF IT RAINS, I THINK IT WILL WIN.”

We’re now back to, “Yeah, whatever it does tomorrow, it will improve him” and, “Yeah, it should run a big race if everything goes its way.”

(Source: Carty Googles)