To be honest I think running him was an after thought as they were all about finding out whether he was a Gold Cup horse this season (he isn’t) and his race pretty much went south at the start when he got left a little bit and was a long way back in the field compared to his usual tactics of being up with the pace.
I do think Nationals are his level (having won two of the four) so I wouldn’t be looking to change anything in that respect and with connections now knowing that he isn’t Gold Cup class they can now gear next season specifically around Aintree (probably a prep before a tilt at the Welsh National and then maybe a National Trial before Aintree).