The owners of Denman agreed yesterday that the remorseless Gold Cup winner will have the 2010 Grand National as a distant target. With more immediate intent, the favourite for the 2008 renewal, Cloudy Lane, came through a weekend of work and schooling before his critical examination at Aintree on Saturday.

Denman was parading for a packed crowd around the sunlit paddock at Wincanton as his owners, Paul Barber and Harry Findlay, made their long-term plans. Findlay, having been persuaded against his instinctive wish to run in the National next year, reported that a compromise had been struck.

“He's only had four runs this season and he'll have five next year,” he said of the eight-year-old. “Paul reckons we should add the totesport Bowl that Kauto Star will run in this week, just to get the Aintree experience. And then he'll go for the National in 2010 - we've just shaken hands on it.”

If Denman remains fit and unbeaten for the next two years, even Findlay may balk at the skinny price bookmakers will offer. Donald McCain, trainer of Cloudy Lane, regards it as crazy that his horse is as short as 6-1 for this year's race, though he is delighted with his preparation.

“Jason Maguire came up yesterday to give him a proper piece of work and he schooled this morning along with our other runner, Idle Talk,” he said. “There are no problems and I believe we've got two nice horses for the race.”

McCain, who had pencilled in Graham Lee for the ride on Idle Talk before his comeback from injury was delayed, hopes to secure a replacement today. Other jockeys plans are crystallising, with Tony McCoy opting for Butler's Cabin in his latest bid to break his National duck, and Mick Fitzgerald expecting to ride L'Ami.

Among contemporary trainers, no one has the National pedigree of Nigel Twiston-Davies and his Cotswold yard will be mob-handed as he aims for a third winner to follow Earth Summit and Bindaree.

Paddy Brennan, whose riding as stable jockey has been partly responsible for Twiston-Davies enjoying his best season in a decade, has chosen to partner Fundamentalist, trading at 50-1, ahead of the Gold Cup sixth, Knowhere.

“I realise there is a debate about whether Fundamentalist will get the trip but I'm sure Paddy will ride him accordingly,” the trainer said. “I'm personally confident he will stay and it was Paddy's choice to ride him. Joe Tizzard will be on Knowhere.”

Having reluctantly given up the idea of calling his former jockey Carl Llewellyn out of semi-retirement for a National ride, Twiston-Davies has booked Noel Fehily for Ollie Magern and David England will partner his fourth intended runner, Ardaghey.

Twiston-Davies, fourth in the trainers' championship, will also field a strong team on Aintree's support cards. His Cheltenham winner, Ballyfitz, will step up to take on the best staying hurdlers in the opening race on Thursday and Battlecry and Mahogany Blaze will contest novice chases.

Timmy Murphy says he has privately decided which of the runners owned by his employer, David Johnson, he will ride in the National. He is keeping it to himself for the time being, though, in case conditions at Aintree alter. After rain on Saturday, the going on the National course is described as good-to-soft, soft in places.