Today's Leopardstown Preview:It might seem perverse to take on the Cheltenham Gold Cup holder War Of Attrition and a race specialist like Beef Or Salmon in today's Lexus Chase at Leopardstown, but the cream of Irish steeplechasing might just find itself with a big job to beat the French invader L'Ami.

Since L'Ami is owned by JP McManus and ridden by Tony McCoy, he is hardly without some Irish influence himself, but he will undoubtedly be flying a different type of tricolour to the rest in the €150,000 day-three Christmas feature.

Ranged against him will be much of the best Ireland can present as a Gold Cup threat to Kauto Star, as well as The Listener from Robert Alner's Dorset yard, who will be ridden by the 23-year-old Wexford-born jockey Daryl Jacob.

Opposing such quality with a horse who hasn't won in almost two years, and whose big-race record consists mainly of squeezing into fourth placings, might not be an obvious tack to take, but the great leveller today could be the very testing conditions.

Not surprisingly for one brought up on the hock-deep turf of Auteuil, L'Ami is not bothered by bog-like conditions, and trainer Francois Doumen deliberately skipped Tuesday's King George VI at Kempton to get more suitable going here.

His gamble looks to have come off.

In contrast, the War Of Attrition team are not enthused by the idea of trying to improve on last year's Lexus second in this type of ground.

"He's very well but the ground is definitely a concern," said the Gold Cup holder's trainer, Mouse Morris. "It's very simple. He just doesn't jump anywhere near as good out of it. He's shown that in the past."

War Of Attrition's last two starts prove the pattern, and he again has to take on Beef Or Salmon who just edged him out at Down Royal in October.

Michael Hourigan's runner may not take his A-game to Britain, but three miles in heavy going around Leopardstown is accepted as being his patch.

Beef Or Salmon will try to add to three previous Lexus wins in 2002-'04-'05, as well as a pair of Hennessys, and Hourigan is confident his star is in at least as good shape as in previous years.

"It would be lovely if he could get his 10th Grade One win here," the trainer said. "These are the conditions he's won on in the past and he's in good shape."

What is undeniable though is that Beef Or Salmon is capable of throwing in the odd sub-par performance, and, even if brings his best form to the party, there's very little between him and L'Ami on their form behind Kauto Star at Haydock last month.

Just a length separated them at the line after L'Ami led for most of the run in. Doumen managed to get just one hurdle warm-up into his horse at Auteuil just 13 days before that and said afterwards his horse would improve for the run.

If he has, and with conditions making this a real slog, then L'Ami could well poop the local party.

The day's other Grade One highlight, the Powers Whiskey Novice Chase, looks, on the face of it, to be something of a no-brainer as Cailin Alainn's Drinmore Chase defeat of Schindlers Hunt got a colossal boost here on Tuesday.

In fact, Cailin Alainn is now attempting six-in-a-row, and almost all of her opposition look to have it all to do on the formbook.

Gazza's Girl is one of those, having finished almost 12 lengths behind in the Drinmore, but those unwilling to tuck into a short-priced favourite could do worse than look for a touch of value with the race's other mare.

Significantly, Gazza's Girl was a hot favourite when the pair clashed at Clonmel, only for Jessica Harrington's horse to lose her rider, and there is no doubt that today's three-mile trip will suit Gazza's Girl ideally.

She is a proven winner at the trip in very heavy ground, while the only time Cailin Alainn has run at three miles was the last time she was beaten.

Celestial Wave graduated to Grade Two success on her last start, but still has it all to do at the ratings in the Woodies Hurdle against the likes of last year's winner Rosaker.

The Noel Meade runner ran Brave Inca to a length earlier this month, but if that race has taken its toll on him, Adrian Maguire's mare could take advantage.

Middlemarch was a soft-ground maiden winner at Limerick last February, and lost out on possible big-race glory when Davy Russell's iron broke early in the Galway Hurdle.

Some valuable compensation may be waiting in the second handicap hurdle.

The stamina of View Mount Prince will surely come into play in the first handicap.