Former trainer, breeder Milone dies

Pat Milone, a breeder in Maryland and former trainer, died last Friday at age 63, according to his wife, Shelley Stoneking.

Milone Grew up in Omaha, Neb., and went to work for Jack Van Berg at Ak-Sar-Ben. He trained on his own at a number of Midwest and East Coast tracks. In recent years, he and Stoneking, a former rider who manages the tack shop at Delaware Park, bred and raised horses on their Chesapeake City, Md., farm.

Milone was diagnosed with kidney cancer in March, according to Stoneking.

“This all happened very quickly,” she said. “It’s very sad. Pat helped deliver our foals this winter before he got sick, and he was very much looking forward to getting back into training.”

In addition to Stoneking, Milone is survived by his daughter, Beth Milone Smith of Lexington, Ky., and four grandchildren.