The Perfect Encore: LBR Hangem Marks a Massive 226 to Win the 2026 NCHA Summer Spectacular Open Classic, Adding $77,955 to Break the Half-Million Mark
Draw 3. LBR Hangem and the Colorado man himself, Kenny Platt. As they entered the pen, the announcer's voice caught the crowd's attention, drawing out those three letters with his usual heavy cadence: L. B. R.
And the Will Rogers went quiet watching them walk into the herd to cut their first cow.
They made three incredible cuts, keeping the cattle perfectly centered. The horse moved with a mastered precision—never a fraction too soon, never a second late. His timing was flawless. With so much presence, those intense eyes, and those signature shakes, he turned his entire body into an impenetrable wall between himself and the cow.
The atmosphere inside this mythic arena simply shifts when this pair goes to work. It’s hard to describe. It just does.
"This horse is something else," whispered through the crowd, cutting through the roaring noise of the stands.
Working their third cow, a black one tried to linger near the herd. Thanks to Kenny's masterful help clearing the interference, they kept working, finishing the run on a flurry of huge moves to mark a massive 226. They were only Draw 3, but the moment the buzzer signaled the end of a two-and-a-half-minute cutting masterclass, the entire arena already knew. "He’s going to win it," echoed on everyone's lips.
And he did just that. Again.
NCHA nearly $6 million rider Kenny Platt has been piloting the stallion from the very beginning of his show career, and together, they have evolved into an unbeatable pair. On Saturday night, they claimed the championship for the second time in a row, by a massive five-point margin, taking home $77,955. The victory officially pushed LBR Hangem’s lifetime earnings over the half-million-dollar mark to an incredible $573,910.
The win also shook up the season standings. In the race for NCHA Open Horse of the Year, Shotty is now leading the pack by more than 100 points. As the authors at Performance Horse Central remarked, “It's rare to see a Classic horse sitting at the top of the Open Horse of the Year standings, but LBR Hangem 'Shotty' continues to prove he's one of a kind!”
"I just feel extra grateful because I know this will probably not happen again. He did it twice,” Melanie Smith said, her voice cracking with emotion. “I just want to give him a hug and tell him thank you for being so great and so much fun for all of us. We don’t take any of this for granted. We hope his babies will be just as good."
And fun, it certainly was. What a night, and what a team.
Recently syndicated, the stallion is now surrounded by an incredible group of people dedicated to ensuring his career and legacy are as extraordinary as possible. This was his final show in the legendary Will Rogers Coliseum, and what a way to bow out!
LBR Hangem is now heading to Las Vegas for the Cutting Challenge at The Run For A Million. Fans are traveling from as far away as Australia just to cheer him on. This horse has built a following that knows no borders, no limits, and no end.
Without a doubt, for everyone lucky enough to be in Shotty’s corner, it has been the ride of a lifetime.
You want to know more about LBR Hangem? Here is a podcast episode that tells his whole story.
