Federal Officials an "absurdity," Pimlico veterinarian Dr. John William Spranklin asserted that "whisky used to be regarded as necessary in the treatment of horses" and that "there are a number of diseases from which horses suffer where whisky always has been and always will be known to the fraternity as one of the main agents administered in connection with certain drugs because of its stimulating qualities." William P. Riggs, secretary of the Maryland Jockey Club, declared the veterinarian's statement to be true, as did Major Ral Parr, a stable owner whose horse had won the 1920 Kentucky Derby and whose knowledge of horses resulted in his being "commandeered" by the government during World War I. All this support did little to alleviate the problem and in the end William Bringloe was fined $250 by a U.S. Federal judge for illegally importing liquor. Immigration officers then charged Bringloe with entering the country unlawfully but this charge was not pressed. Nonetheless, on his return to Canada, a court in Bridgeburg, Ontario fined him $300 for illegally transporting liquor to the U.S. border. The consumption of alcohol is seen as an integral part of St. Patrick's Day celebrations held annually on March 17. The day following Bringloe's arrest, the usual St. Patrick's Day crowd of celebrating owners and others at the Havre de Grace Racetrack stable area had little to cheer about even though Boniface won the Philadelphia Handicap. The horse's Canadian owner, J. K. L. Ross, had brought no whisky with him to treat the horses. Death and Honors While at Tanforan Racetrack in San Bruno, California with a stable of horses for Harry Hatch, Bringloe took seriously ill and died a few days later in a San Francisco hospital. His remains were returned to Canada and interred in the St. John's Norway Cemetery in the Toronto neighbourhood, The Beaches. In its posthumous biography, the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame called Bringloe "one of Canada's most respected trainers during the 1920s and '30s." References 1875 births 1937 deaths Canadian horse trainers Canadian Champion racehorse trainers American Champion racehorse trainers Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame inductees Sportspeople from Quebec People from Estrie