Etc. . . .

My Boston Gal, fifth in the Kentucky Oaks last week, is scheduled to undergo surgery Friday on her soft palate and will be out of training for three weeks afterward, trainer Carl Nafzger said Wednesday. "Hopefully," said Nafzger, "we'll have her back to run at Saratoga." . . . Roxelana, a 6-year-old mare whose greatest victory came in the 2000 La Troienne Stakes at Churchill Downs, has been retired, said trainer Blackie Huffman. Roxelana, bred and owned by William Landes III, won 7 of 11 starts and nearly $265,000. . . . Steve Adika, the New York-based jockey agent for Javier Castellano, was arraigned on Wednesday morning in a Central Islip, N.Y., courthouse on three charges of federal tax evasion for the years 1996, 1997, and 1999. Adika, who faces a maximum prison sentence of 15 years and a $750,000 fine, represented jockey Mike Smith for 10 years before being fired by the rider in 2001. . . . The New York State Court of Appeals declined to hear an appeal by trainer Nick Zito regarding a medication positive for which Zito was fined $2,000 and suspended 15 days by the New York State Racing and Wagering Board because his horse Mark's Miner tested positive for lidocaine after finishing second in an August 2000 maiden claiming race at Saratoga. Leo McGinity, Zito's attorney, said he would now bring his appeal to the federal level, and Zito will continue to be allowed to train until the case is resolved. . . . Mike Jarvis, the head coach of the men's basketball team at St. John's University, was elected to the board of trustees of the New York Racing Association on Wednesday.