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Dame De Compagnie debacle means appeals panel should be adapted not condemned

CHELTENHAM, ENGLAND - MARCH 11: Barry Geraghty riding Dame De Compagnie (L, green/gold) clear the last to win The Coral Cup Handicap Hurdle on Ladies Day at Cheltenham Racecourse on March 11, 2020 in Cheltenham, England. (Photo by Alan Crowhurst/Getty Ima
Dame De Compagnie (white cap) jumps the last in the Coral CupCredit: Alan Crowhurst (Getty Images)

Good Cheltenham? I hope so. Maybe it was not quite as good as Willie Mullins', or quite as underwhelming as Colin Tizzard's.

It was not all bad, even for Tizzard. He ended the week in the winner's enclosure after the Gold Cup, albeit one of the shadier spots. At least he was not called out by name on ITV after Dame De Compagnie won the Coral Cup.

The BHA's handicapping appeals panel was one of the stories of the week. When something so dry makes the headlines it is rarely a good sign. Dame De Compagnie won off a mark 2lb lower than she would have had if BHA handicapper Andrew Mealor rated her as he wanted.

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