Master Minded, the highest rated jumps horse in training after his sensational Queen Mother Champion Chase win at the Cheltenham Festival, is likely to run again at Aintree tomorrow week, after a change of heart by his trainer, Paul Nicholls.

The latest thinking from the Ditcheat yard is that Master Minded will step up to two and a half miles for the grade one John Smith's Melling Chase. Kauto Star, initially pencilled in for that race, would then run over three miles in the Betfair Bowl the previous day.

Nicholls revised his plans yesterday after discussions with Clive Smith, who owns both horses, and his jockey, Ruby Walsh. “Nothing is definite yet and it won't be until the two horses work on Saturday,” Nicholls said. “But it's true that we've had a serious rethink and it's exciting to think they could both run next week.”

He added: “Clive came down this morning and we talked through all the possibilities. We'd only been thinking of Punchestown as a possibility for Master Minded but he's in good order and I'm a great believer that a horse in the form of his life should be running. There's a nagging doubt in my mind that the ground at Punchestown might not be right for him anyway - they do a good job but it is right at the end of April. We could still enter him there but the Aintree race is a grade one, worth £200,000, and the ground should be fine.”

Nicholls had originally been adamant that Master Minded would remain at the minimum distance, after his obliteration of the Champion Chase field. But he explained: “He's run well over two and a half in a bog in France and, when he first ran over here, Ruby thought that would be his best trip. When I asked him again today, he told me he would stay any distance.

“Kauto Star will be entered in both races, in case we go back to plan A. But with Denman not running, he would obviously be favourite for the three-miler. He'd have Monet's Garden and Voy Por Ustedes to beat in the shorter race, so my ace would be to run Master Minded.”

Nicholls is scornful of all theories regarding Kauto Star's wellbeing in the Gold Cup, where he was emphatically beaten by his stablemate. “I've heard it said he didn't look great and it just makes me laugh. He was in great form and still is. There were no excuses and I'm looking forward to running him again.”

There is no rethink over Denman and the Gold Cup hero's only remaining engagement this season is at Wincanton on Sunday, when he will parade along with Katchit, the Champion Hurdle winner.

Alan King, trainer of Katchit, reiterated yesterday that the five-year-old will not run again this season, either. But he does intend to run Voy Por Ustedes in the Melling, while My Way De Solzen will contest the Aintree Hurdle on Grand National day.

A springer in the National market yesterday was King Johns Castle. Trained by Arthur Moore and a possible mount for Tony McCoy, he was cut to 16-1 (from 28-1) by totesport.