Down Royal Preview: The Cheltenham Gold Cup winner War Of Attrition faces his first big test of the new campaign in an eagerly awaited clash with Beef Or Salmon and the top novice Justified in today's Grade One feature at Down Royal, writes Brian O'Connor.

Conor O'Dwyer's mount catapulted himself to the top of the chase rankings with that memorable success last March where, once again, Beef Or Salmon proved he is not the same horse once he leaves Ireland.

However, he is a proven performer and winner in the James Nicholson wine Merchant Champion Chase and although ground conditions in the North are not expected to be overly testing, he will still be a formidable challenger to War Of Attrition.

Tony McCoy's commitments in Britain mean Paul Carberry steps in for the ride on Justified who is being targeted at the King George over Christmas. There was much to like though about the way the likely odds-on favourite scored on his Punchestown comeback where O'Dwyer reported he felt War Of Attrition had improved and strengthened again over the summer.

Certainly, if the outcome comes down to jumping, War Of Attrition should have no problems.

In Compliance figures in some ante-post betting lists for the Gold Cup as well and he makes his seasonal debut in the Grade Three Killultagh Properties Chase over two and a half miles.

The O'Brien runner is 4lb "wrong" in the weights with Wild Passion, however, and the Meade runner will be sharp from a narrow hurdles defeat at Thurles recently.