Neil Milbert

Neil Milbert is a freelance writer who covered harness racing and other sports during his 40-year career with the Chicago Tribune.

Horse owner and trainer Noel Hickey looks over Plate Dancer, one of the 45 horses he owns and trains, on June 19, 1991, at Arlington Park Racetrack.

Noel Hickey remembered as legendary horse trainer, breeder and owner at Arlington International Racecourse

August 25, 2022 at 2:16 p.m.

During the 1990s, thoroughbred trainer, breeder and owner Noel Hickey wrote one of the most memorable chapters in the storied annals of Arlington International Racecourse. In the rich history of...

Arlington Heights celebrated Memorial Day with a large parade and participation from Richard Duchossois, shown here on May 26, 2014.

Dick Duchossois, the longtime owner of Arlington International Racecourse, dies at age 100

December 6, 2022 at 7:06 p.m.

It wasn't until Dick Duchossois reached middle age that horses unexpectedly galloped into his life. Initially, Duchossois was just interested, a supportive father who got involved simply because a son...

Phil Langley, harness racing secretary, at Sportsman's Park on April 9, 1992.

Phil Langley, a major figure in Illinois harness racing, dies at 83

April 29, 2020 at 9:13 p.m.

Harness racing was in Phil Langley's DNA. From his boyhood days in Elkhorn, Wisconsin, until his death at age 83 on April 11 at Silver Cross Hospital in New Lenox,...

Billy Johnston, influential leader of Illinois’ once thriving harness racing scene, dies

April 6, 2020 at 10:28 p.m.

Starting in the mid-1960s, Billy Johnston presided over harness meetings at Sportsman's Park at a time when the Cubs didn't play home games at night and the Blackhawks didn't televise...

Tom Carey at Hawthorne Race Course in 1998.

Tom Carey, prep and college football standout who ran Hawthorne Race Course, dies

December 20, 2019 at 11:29 p.m.

Tom Carey always wondered how his life would have turned out if he had decided to pursue a career as a college football coach instead of joining his father Robert...

Rob Marcocchio, whose networking skills fueled work in insurance and horse racing, dies

August 29, 2019 at 10:05 p.m.

Rob Marcocchio was a master networker and storyteller whose acumen with names and numbers was key to his career as a principal in a large insurance agency and his work...

John McEvoy, Daily Racing Form editor and author of horse track mysteries, dies at 83

June 12, 2019 at 8:10 p.m.

When John McEvoy was 10 years old, he won a Father's Day essay contest with a description of his dad that suggested McEvoy had the potential to become a writer....

Retired players Stan Mikita, from left, Denis Savard and Bobby Hull share a laugh during the opening ceremonies of the Blackhawks Convention at the Hilton Chicago in 2013.

Stan Mikita and Bobby Hull formed special bond with Blackhawks

May 9, 2019 at 9:03 a.m.

Before Jordan and Pippen, before Kane and Toews, Chicago had Hull and Mikita. Their styles were dramatically different. Bobby Hull was the explosive winger with the booming slap shot and...

Blackhawks great Stan Mikita dies at 78: ‘He was hard-working. He was unselfish. He was a superstar.’

August 18, 2019 at 7:49 p.m.

Stan Mikita, arguably the greatest player in Blackhawks history, died Tuesday after a long illness. He was 78. “There are no words to describe our sadness over Stan’s passing,” the...

Tony Salvaro, Chicago-area harness track announcer, dies at 70

June 6, 2018 at 1:29 a.m.

Tony Salvaro had innumerable fans during the 28 years he worked as an announcer at Chicago-area harness tracks, running the gamut from the $2 bettor to New York Yankees owner...

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