HIWU Suspends California Veterinarian for Three Years

The Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit, the enforcement arm of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority, has suspended for three years a track veterinarian found to be in possession of two banned substances last summer at Los Alamitos Race Course. HIWU, which posted a resolution of the case Feb. 25, added detail to that resolution March 3 by posting that the vet in question, Dr. Larry Rickman Overly, had agreed to an admission of violating an equine anti-doping rule and had accepted consequences pursuant to HISA's Anti-Doping and Medication Control program. HIWU reports that July 23 at Los Alamitos Overly was found to be in possession of two banned substances, testosterone and isoxsuprine. HIWU reports that Feb. 24 Overly admitted the violation and accepted the consequences. As a result Overly was suspended for three years (18 months for each violation), with credit given for the period already served during his provisional suspension from Oct. 17-Nov. 4, 2024. The suspension is scheduled to continue to February 2028. Also, Overly was fined $25,000. Testosterone is an anabolic steroid and isoxsuprine is a vasodilator that, according to HIWU, lacks approval from the FDA.