Jockey Martin Chuan suspended through Oct. 11
Agent calls it a travesty
Frank Vespe
October 6, 2026
Jockey Martin Chuan will be on the sidelines through Oct. 11 as a result of a suspension handed down by the Delaware Thoroughbred Racing Commission (DTRC) stewards. That suspension began Sept. 27.
Chuan was hit with a $1,000 fine and a 15-day suspension “for failure to give his best effort” aboard first-time starter Piper’s Song Sept. 10. A complaint about Chuan’s ride was filed by owner/trainer Kelsie Shotzberger, according to the DTRC ruling.
This article contains affiliate links. If you click and buy, we may earn a commission at no extra charge to you.
Pick up reliable and rewarding tickets for major events!
“An absolute travesty,” Chuan’s agent, John Weilbacher, called the ruling.
The three-year-old Piper’s Song made her career debut in a $25,000 maiden claiming race at Delaware Park as a 15-1 outsider. After breaking with the field, Piper’s Song got the squeeze from rivals, and Chuan was forced to steady her, dropping to the rear of the field. She made no further impact on the race, and Chuan just galloped her home, 31 ¾ lengths behind the winner and a dozen behind her nearest competitor.
Chuan’s contention, Weilbacher said, is that once he received no response from the horse, he made the decision to protect it.
“He asked the horse for some effort,” Weilbacher said. “The horse just wasn’t responding whatsoever, like she didn’t want to be out there, wasn’t interested in racing or anything. And so he just basically got her around the track safely.”
Weilbacher said that he and Chuan filed the paperwork to appeal the decision to the Commission itself. However, the appeal was voided because the documents were not notarized, as Delaware’s rules require, an oversight he said he only was told about after the window of time to correct the filing had closed.
Just eight days after her debut, Piper’s Song raced again, this time in a $12,500 maiden claimer at Laurel Park with Gavin Ashton in the irons. Sent off at 20-1, she delivered a similar performance – relatively close for a quarter-mile before dropping away readily — and was wrapped up through the lane, beaten by 39 ¾ lengths.
Owner-trainer Shotzberger has a win from seven starts this year.
Since arriving at Delaware last year, Chuan, 31, has become one of the track’s leading riders. He has registered 37 wins at the current meet, good for third in the standings, while generating purse earnings of more than $1.1 million and winning at a 20% clip. He has logged stakes wins this meet aboard Understudy Kitty in the Sussex Handicap and Mr. Ripple in the DTHA Governors Day Handicap.
Pick up reliable and rewarding tickets for major events!
LATEST NEWS
