Prairie quarantine lifted

Tests on a horse from trainer Paul Pearson's barn at Prairie Meadows came back negative for the equine herpes virus Monday morning, allowing the state vets to lift the quarantine that had been in effect on that horse's barn since last Tuesday.

As a result of the negative test, all shipping restrictions to and from Prairie Meadows have also been lifted.

The suspect horse, an unraced 3-year-old from Pearson's barn, had been taken to Iowa State University and placed in isolation last Monday afternoon after displaying a temperature and signs of neurological distress.

The horses in the barn, Barn D-4, had been unable to race here since last Tuesday, and they also were not allowed to train for five days.