Promising filly Amada Rafaela euthanized

ARCADIA, Calif. – The flashy 3-year-old filly Amada Rafaela was euthanized Thursday after she was injured and pulled up during the seventh race at Santa Anita.

Amada Rafaela was making just the second start of her career, following a smashing May 5 debut for trainer Bob Baffert. She won that six-furlong race by more than eight lengths in 1:09.88 and earned a 97 Beyer, which matched the highest of the year by a 3-year-old filly.

Favored at 1-20 in the first-level allowance sprint on Thursday, Amada Rafaela was pulled up on the backstretch by jockey Martin Garcia. California Horse Racing Board veterinarian Dr. Tim Grande said Amada Rafaela will undergo a necropsy to determine the specifics of her injury.

Amada Rafaela, sired by Distorted Humor and produced by the multiple graded stakes-winning sprint mare Dust and Diamonds, was bred and owned by Three Chimneys Farm.