The Pennsylvania Harness Racing Commission yesterday lifted the quarantine that had locked 30 harness horses in their barn at The Meadows for 21 days after a stablemate died of equine herpes.

The quarantine was lifted at noon, after morning qualifying races were over, clearing the track for their return.

"As soon as the barn doors opened, the horses were able to go back to the track," assistant general manager Kevin Decker said. "They are free to go about their business now."

Decker said it would take some time for the horses to get back into racing shape. Part of the time the horses were quarantined they had access to an in-house treadmill, but otherwise they were limited to walking the shedrow around the stalls inside the barn.

The quarantine began Feb. 18 after Twilight Mystery, trained by Jeff Indof, was found down in his stall, diagnosed with equine herpes, and euthanized. An autopsy by three pathologists at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, New Bolton campus, confirmed the diagnosis of the highly contagious and almost always fatal disease.

There are several types of equine herpes. This one was a neurologic one, the more commonly fatal one as it leaves the horse unable to stand.

The Washington County harness track became the third site in North America to have a horse or horses stricken with the neurological strain of the illness.

The others were tracks in Canada's Maritime Provinces and Northville Raceway in Michigan.

Besides Indof, trainers affected by The Meadows quarantine included Kris and Wayne Hite, Ray Paver, and Naquel Harvey.

"Hopefully this is the end of it. Things are looking up now," Decker said. "We're very fortunate it didn't spread, obviously."