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The Lark seeking first stakes win in Ribblesdale; Coach House tops Coventry While the Group 1 Gold Cup is the highlight of Royal Ascot on Thursday, three other group contests will have their turn in the spotlight as well. The Group 2 Ribblesdale Stakes comes quickly after the Group 1 Epsom Oaks, and several who took part in that classic have failed when seeking compensation, so The Lark is up against it on the stats. Third after meeting typical traffic in that May 31 classic, Lady Bamford's Pivotal relative of the brilliant Sariska had previously finished third behind the re-opposing Winsili and subsequent black-type winner Cruck Realta in Newbury's listed Swettenham Stud Fillies' Trial on May 17. Winsili carries the Juddmonte second colors here despite that win, with Lady Cecil's Riposte sporting the pink cap. The latter is by Dansili and out of Rainbow Lake, making her a three-parts sister to Kind and therefore immensely significant to Khalid Abdullah's operation. She is not just about her pedigree, however, and showed talent when beating subsequent winner Auld Alliance in a 12-furlong maiden at Newmarket on May 17. It is surprising that Aidan O'Brien is stepping Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith and Susan Magnier's Group 3 winner and Group 1 Irish One Thousand Guineas third Just Pretending up so markedly in trip, but there is stamina in the Giant's Causeway filly's pedigree and the move must be respected. "The Giant's Causeways just get better and better if you give them time, and she was hard to load at first but has matured and stepped up a lot when the hood went on," her conditioner said. "She ran a great race in the Guineas, and while a mile and a half might be a bit far, we'll find out." Also from Ireland is Sue-Ann Foley's listed Salsabil Stakes winner Alive Alive Oh, and her six-length dismissal of Magical Dream in that 10-furlong Navan contest was made to look better after the runner-up went close to winning Sunday's Group 3 Noblesse Stakes. "She's the main stable hope at the meeting and is in good order, so all being well she should run a big race," trainer Tommy Stack's son Fozzy commented. If the Group 2 Coventry Stakes is anything to go by, O'Brien obviously has a deep pool of juvenile talent again in 2013 and Thursday's Group 2 Norfolk Stakes at Royal Ascot offers more opportunity for Ballydoyle to enjoy extra time in the limelight. Magnier, Tabor and Smith's Coach House fits the bill as clear favorite for this year's edition, having followed an impressive May 2 Tipperary maiden win with a battling score in The Curragh's listed Marble Hill Stakes over Thursday's five-furlong trip 23 days later. The runner-up that day, Club Wexford, has since boosted the form, and the Irish two-year-olds look strong again this season. Of the home-trained colts, William Haggas saddles a live one in Sheikh Ahmed bin Rashid Al Maktoum's Saayerr, who beat subsequent listed-placed Sacha Park in his May 23 debut at Salisbury before following up at Windsor on June 3 from Lilbourne, who has boosted that form by winning in the interim. As usual, Richard Hannon has strong chances with Mohamed Saeed Al Shahi's dual winner Legend Rising and Lord Vestey's impressive Leicester maiden scorer Coulsty. "Lord Vestey asked us to buy him one for Royal Ascot, so let's hope the plan works out," he said. "Legend Rising drops back in trip, having won easily over six at Chepstow last week, but this is a stiff five and he is not short of pace." Two others who impressed on debut are David Armstrong's May 18 Doncaster maiden scorer Eccleston, and Paul Shanahan and Ice Wine Stable's No Nay Never, another from Wesley Ward's raiding party who dominated a 4 1/2-furlong maiden special weight over Keeneland's Polytrack on April 26. Thursday's Group 3 Tercentenary Stakes at Royal Ascot offers the opportunity for a pair of classic also-rans to re-establish their reputations in Van Der Neer and Chopin. Off the board in the Group 1 Irish Two Thousand Guineas at The Curragh on May 25 and Group 1 Epsom Derby on June 1, respectively, they had previously shone when third in the Group 1 Two Thousand Guineas at Newmarket on May 4 and when successful in Krefeld's Group 3 Dr Busch-Memorial on April 21, respectively. Hannon is hopeful that Van Der Neer will come into his own over this extra distance, and put his experience of the top level to maximum effect against some unexposed colts on the rise. "Van der Neer did not do a tap in the Irish Two Thousand Guineas and he has also been hanging back in his subsequent gallops at home, so we have decided he needs an alarm call," he explained. "We did not go for the full blinkers as they could set him alight running downhill, but the cheek pieces might just wake him up. We know he has the class, and we think that this step up to 10 furlongs is what he wants." One of the potential top-notchers lurking in the field is Khalid Abdullah's Remote, a son of the 2002 Group 1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches heroine Zenda, who put subsequent listed winner Baltic Knight to the sword in a mile handicap at Doncaster last out on June 1. "Remote is a much-improved horse who won really nicely at Doncaster, and I really like his chance," the owner-breeder's Racing Manager Teddy Grimthorpe said. Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum's Elkaayed is another with blue blood coursing through his veins, and the Distorted Humor son of the high-class Habibti is ready to start building a formidable reputation of his own based on his impressive success in a conditions event over an extended 10 furlongs at Doncaster last out on June 1. "Elkaayed has done nothing wrong and is a colt on the up," trainer Roger Varian remarked. "He continues to do well and I have been very pleased with his work since Doncaster. The race looks very competitive, but I hope Elkaayed will prove that he is up to this level." O'Brien puts a hood on Smith, Magnier and Tabor's Indian Chief after he appeared to hang fire at the finish of the Group 2 Dante Stakes at York last out on May 16. The form of that Derby trial has been significantly boosted by the subsequent exploits of Libertarian and Trading Leather, and the Ballydoyle representative will be a major player if the headgear works the oracle. 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