Ruby Walsh will ride My Will in the Grand National at Aintree on Saturday.

Walsh, who had a record seven winners at the Cheltenham Festival in March, had the choice of a clutch of leading contenders for the race.

But he has been booked to partner Paul Nicholls' nine-year-old, who finished fifth to Kauto Star in the Gold Cup.

Cloudy Lane is top weight for the race, in which 74 horses stood their ground following Monday's declarations. A maximum of 40 can run on Saturday.

Snoopy Loopy and Nozic have both been withdrawn from the four-and-a-half mile marathon, moving the weights up by three pounds and leaving the nine-year-old Cloudy Lane to shoulder 11st 10lb.

Trained by Donald McCain, Cloudy Lane was sent off 7-1 joint favourite last year and was sixth behind Comply Or Die.

Former Gold Cup winner War of Attrition was ruled out of the race later on Monday by trainer Mouse Morris.

The 10-year-old was as low as 12-1 with Ladbrokes and had been the subject of a gamble for the race but Morris will now rely on Hear the Echo.

Comply or Die also stands his ground and David Pipe's runner will attempt to become the first horse since the legendary Red Rum (1973 and '74), trained by McCain's father Ginger, to land back-to-back victories.

As expected, Roll Along, King Johns Castle and Character Building were among the other absentees and Ladbrokes have made My Will their 7-1 favourite.

Spokesman David Williams said: "As soon as Ruby made his mind up we knew we'd have to shorten the odds. Precisely how much faith the public now put in the King of Cheltenham remains to be seen.

"We're now waiting to hear confirmation of Tony McCoy's plans for the National. The same thing will happen to the odds of his mount as soon as the news breaks."

Nigel Twiston-Davies has four horses guaranteed to make the line-up in Knowhere, Ollie Magern, Fundamentalist and Battlecry as the Cotswolds trainer seeks a third triumph after Earth Summit (1998) and Bindaree (2002).

Kilbeggan Blade completed his preparation for the big race by jumping a National-style fence at trainer Tom George's yard on Monday morning.

"Everything's going according to plan. He had his last school this morning over a National fence and thoroughly enjoyed that. He's ready for it," said the Stroud-based handler.

By taking the ride on My Will, Walsh, the Irish champion jockey, has snubbed the chance to partner Nicholls' Big Fella Thanks, and Southern Vic, trained by his father Ted.

Willie Mullins' Irish Invader was another horse that Walsh could have elected to ride, but his sister Jennifer, who also acts as his agent, confirmed: "Ruby is going to ride My Will.

"He said with the ground the way it is [good, and expected to stay that way], he thinks it will suit him."

My Will is favourite with many bookmakers for the race, though Butler's Cabin - a possible mount for Tony McCoy and trained by Jonjo O'Neill - is also a strong fancy.

Walsh has twice won the Grand National aboard Papillon (2000) and Hedgehunter (2005), while McCoy is waiting for his first success in the Aintree showpiece.

Aintree Grand National entries

Form Horse Age Trainer Handicap

1/-2426U ALEXANDERTHEGREAT (Ire) 11 Venetia Williams 9-8

3/00010- ARTEEA (Ire) 10 David Pipe 10-5

01PP6-6 BAGAN (Fra) 10 Martin Todhunter 10-10

332-245 BATTLECRY 8 Nigel Twiston-Davies 10-10

P1-3PFP BEAT THE BOYS Nigel Twiston-Davies 8 9-13

40-306F BIBLE LORD Andrew Turnell 8 9-13

322U13 BIG FELLA THANKS 7 Paul Nicholls 11-1

0F2-P151 BLACK APALACHI (Ire) 10 Dessie Hughes IRE 11-5

124021 BROOKLYN BROWNIE (Ire) 10 Malcolm Jefferson 10-6

3F-0005 BUTLER'S CABIN (Fra) 9 Jonjo O'Neill 10-13

111314 CAN'T BUY TIME (Ire) 7 Jonjo O'Neill 10-9

P/50PP-0 CERIUM (Fra) 8 Paul Murphy 10-5

U1F234 CHELSEA HARBOUR (Ire) 9 Tom Mullins IRE 11-8

6-0431F CLOUDY LANE 9 Donald McCain Jnr 11-10

11-1113 COMPANERO (Ire) 9 Howard Johnson 10-3

211-P00 COMPLY OR DIE (Ire) 10 David Pipe 11-6

00-F12P CORNISH SETT (Ire) 10 Paul Nicholls 10-10

13P//-3P1 DARKNESS 10 Charles Egerton 10-9

4P3-015 DIX VILLEZ (Fra) 10 Paul Nolan IRE 10-2

2P-30P0 DUN DOIRE (Ire) 10 Tony Martin IRE 9-10

411P/1P/- EUROTREK (Ire) 13 Paul Nicholls 11-3

42-P610 FLEET STREET 10 Nicky Henderson 10-10

2P63-52 FLINTOFF (US) 8 Venetia Williams 10-2

146P6P FUNDAMENTALIST (Ire) 11 Nigel Twiston-Davies 10-11

1/P133/3- GOLDEN FLIGHT (Fra) 10 Nicky Henderson 10-11

01-556U HEAR THE ECHO (Ire) 8 Mouse Morris IRE 11-5

P504P0 HIMALAYAN TRAIL 10 Jimmy Mangan IRE 10-6

50-2403 IDLE TALK (Ire) 10 Donald McCain Jnr 10-5

3/114-16 IMPERIAL COMMANDER (Ire) 8 Nigel Twiston-Davies 11-8

3/2F01P- IN THE LOOP (Ire) 11 Roy Wilson IRE 10-1

323111 IRISH INVADER (Ire) 8 Willie Mullins IRE 10-9

333P0P IRON MAN (Fra) 8 Peter Bowen 10-3

F2U6-P0 KELAMI (Fra) 11 Lisa Williamson 10-5

0P-1112 KILBEGGAN BLADE 10 Tom George 10-7

12366/-4 KINGS ADVOCATE (Ire) 9 Tom Taaffe IRE 9-11

6UP-100 KNOWHERE (Ire) 11 Nigel Twiston-Davies 11-7

F0-4212 L'AMI (Fra) 10 Enda Bolger IRE 10-11

02P-P4F0 LE TOSCAN (Fra) 9 David Pipe 9-10

P0-42P5 LORD KILLESHANRA (Ire) 10 Colin Tizzard 9-4

130U63 LYSANDER (Ger) 10 Ian Williams 9-4

U41U-02 MALJIMAR (Ire) 9 Nick Williams 10-4

13140P MALKO DE BEAUMONT (Fra) 9 Alan Brown 9-4

2P-P0PP MATTOCK RANGER (Ire) 9 Noel Meade IRE 10-3

5400-PO MILAN DEUX MILLE (Fra) 7 David Pipe 9-8

210200 MON MOME (Fra) 9 Venetia Williams 11-0

1110PP MONT MISERE (Fra) 13 Paul Murphy 9-1

222100 MUSICA BELLA (Fra) 9 Francois Cottin FR 10-10

2023/-55 MY WILL (Fra) 9 Paul Nicholls 11-4

00-P304 NADOVER (Fra) 8 Charlie Mann 10-1

44P-310 NICHE MARKET (Ire) 8 Bob Buckler 10-3

2/-22P43 NINE DE SIVOLA (Fra) 8 Ferdy Murphy 10-0

111/U2-2 OFFSHORE ACCOUNT (Ire) 9 Charlie Swan IRE 10-13

0-25550 OLLIE MAGERN 11 Nigel Twiston-Davies 11-6

321230 OODACHEE 10 Charlie Swan IRE 9-12

U1-5254 OUT THE BLACK (Ire) 11 Philip Hobbs 9-10

2/223F0- PAK JACK (Fra) 9 Richard Phillips 10-1

23/54-1P PARSONS LEGACY (Ire) 11 Philip Hobbs 10-12

6-350FP PASS ME BY 10 Suzy Smith 9-2

0-4000F PATSY HALL (Ire) 9 Tony Martin IRE 10-2

U01344 POMME TIEPY (Fra) 6 Willie Mullins IRE 10-3

40-0F10 PREISTS LEAP (Ire) 9 Gerard O'Leary IRE 11-5

P0/03-0P PUNTAL (Fra) 13 David Pipe 9-10

46-5651 RAMBLING MINSTER 11 Keith Reveley 10-9

0612/-P0 REVEILLEZ 10 Jonjo O'Neill 10-12

00-23P2 SANDHURST (Ire) 9 Edgar Byrne IRE 9-5

421101 SEYMOUR WELD 9 Charles Pogson 10-1

02421/-0 SILVER BIRCH (Ire) 12 Gordon Elliott IRE 11-0

32-56F2 SNOWY MORNING (Ire) 9 Willie Mullins IRE 11-8

5F/-06U3 SOUTHERN VIC (Ire) 10 Ted Walsh IRE 10-9

P51P04P STAN (NZ) 10 Venetia Williams 11-6

2560-14 STATE OF PLAY 9 Evan Williams 11-2

0123-P5 TOM SAYERS (Ire) 11 Philip Hobbs 10-0

4220-0P WITHOUT A DOUBT 10 Carl Llewellyn 9-10

0/232P5/- ZABENZ (NZ) 12 Philip Hobbs 10-5