York Racecourse: Liber Nauticus to make stakes debut in Musidora

Liber Nauticus, a maiden race winner in her only start, will make her stakes debut in Wednesday’s $112,870 Musidora Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at York Racecourse in England.

Trained by Michael Stoute, Liber Nauticus, by Azamour, races for owner and breeder Ballymacoll Stud. Even though she’s made only one start, Liber Nauticus is as low as 5-1 for the English Oaks on May 31.

Liber Nauticus won her debut over a mile at Goodwood Racecourse last September. She will be ridden by Ryan Moore in the Group 3 Musidora, which is run over about 1 5/16 miles on a flat, left-handed track.

Liber Nauticus is part of a field of six that includes the quick Indigo Lady, who was third in the Group 3 Prix d’Aumale at Chantilly, France, last September, and Hollowina, who was fifth in the Cheshire Oaks on May 8.

The Musidora is the first of two group stakes Wednesday at York.

In the $152,000 Duke of York Stakes, the 4-year-old filly Mince will be favored to win the Group 2 race over a straightaway six furlongs. Mince won her final four starts of 2012, including the Group 3 Bengough Stakes at Ascot last October. She must beat multiple stakes winner Maarek, who won the Group 2 British Champions Sprint Stakes at Ascot last fall.

At Saint-Cloud in France, Baltic Baroness, second in the Group 3 Prix Penelope on April 16, can win her first stakes in the $104,000 Prix Cleopatre, a Group 3 race for 3-year-old fillies over about 1 5/16 miles on turf.

Baltic Baroness is trained by Andre Fabre and has one win in three starts, a maiden race on the all-weather surface at Chantilly last December. The Prix Cleopatre field also includes Childa, who was sixth in the Prix Penelope, and Santa Ponsa, who won the listed Prix Caravelle at Toulouse last month.