On Feb 8, Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) officials lifted a quarantine at Beulah Park, declaring it safe for horses to move in and out of the facility, following an equine herpesvirus (EHV-1) outbreak that occurred between Dec. 22, 2010, and Jan. 11.

The action signifies 30 days have elapsed since the last clinical signs of the disease were detected at the Columbus-area racetrack.

On Dec. 22 the Department of Agriculture Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory performed a necropsy on a Thoroughbred horse that exhibited signs of neurological illness before it died at Beulah Park. A quarantine was immediately ordered Dec. 23 after laboratory test results from the necropsy substantiated the presence of the organism responsible for EHV-1.

During the course of the outbreak, the department confirmed the organism in two additional Thoroughbred horses exhibiting the same symptoms that also died at the track