The tenties: when racing caught up with the dystopian future
Robin Gibson reruns the digital decade
There goes the decade with no name. They did try though. On January 1, 2010, the Mirror suggested the teens, tens, tenties and tenners. But none of those caught on. Nobody had time to let things catch on, because they were busy watching video clips of cats, liars and Ten Second Tips.
Experts (now outmoded) foresaw synthetic brains, intercontinental bridges, and red pepper and pesto goujons at McDonald’s. But what actually happened? Not all of those.
2010: The early-ish adoption
Racing caught up with Twitter as Twitter started to mutate. Early users, realising no-one cared if they were eating sausages or cutting their toenails, had drifted off, leaving space for breaking news and passing comment and wind. The sport’s rapid action made Twitter a natural platform: enthusiasts could blurt whatever they wanted as soon as runners were past the post. And they did.
Read the full story
Read award-winning journalism from the best writers in racing, with exclusive news, interviews, columns, investigations, stable tours and subscriber-only emails.
Subscribe to unlock
- Racing Post digital newspaper (worth over £100 per month)
- Award-winning journalism from the best writers in racing
- Expert tips from the likes of Tom Segal and Paul Kealy
- Replays and results analysis from all UK and Irish racecourses
- Form study tools including the Pro Card and Horse Tracker
- Extensive archive of statistics covering horses, trainers, jockeys, owners, pedigree and sales data
Already a subscriber?Log in
Published on inComment
Last updated
- Four score and ten just a number to Peter Harris as July Cup triumph shows there's more to the elderly than medical conditions
- 'It's chipping away at the profile and the standing of racing in the UK and somebody ought to at least give the impression they care'
- Comment: It is all change at the Jockey Club and its next chief executive will have to hit the ground running
- Unsavoury shunning of Callum Shepherd makes no sense whatsoever, he deserved his shot at Derby glory
- The whole shape of the Irish Flat season is being defined by one man only - and even his main targets lie elsewhere
- Four score and ten just a number to Peter Harris as July Cup triumph shows there's more to the elderly than medical conditions
- 'It's chipping away at the profile and the standing of racing in the UK and somebody ought to at least give the impression they care'
- Comment: It is all change at the Jockey Club and its next chief executive will have to hit the ground running
- Unsavoury shunning of Callum Shepherd makes no sense whatsoever, he deserved his shot at Derby glory
- The whole shape of the Irish Flat season is being defined by one man only - and even his main targets lie elsewhere