Six Perfections leads Astarte

The last three runnings of the Prix d'Astarte at Deauville have produced 17 future American runners. Ten of them have won here, and five of those - England's Legend, Iftiraas, No Matter What, Amonita, and Glia - have won American stakes.

Saturday's renewal of the straight Group 2 mile for fillies and mares promises to be better than ever. Twelve are entered for the $112,000, half of whom are group-race winners.

They are led by Six Perfections, who, despite runner-up finishes in the 1000 Guineas and the Irish 1000 Guineas, may still be the best filly in Europe. A daughter of Celtic Swing trained by Pascal Bary for the Niarchos family, Six Perfections was unlucky on both of those occasions and should win the Astarte with a clean trip.

Both Bright Sky - winner of last year's French Oaks and Prix de l'Opera, who prepped for this with a sharp second to Falbrav in the Prix d'Ispahan - and this year's French 1000 Guineas winner, Musical Chimes, will be difficult to deny. The German 1000 Guineas champ, Diacada, and French Group 3 winners Acago and Campsie Fells add depth to the field, as does an undefeated listed winner, Tessa Reef.