Kenny Platt and LBR Hangem closed out the stallions’ Fort Worth career on Saturday, July 18, marking a 226 to win the Open Classic Challenge at the 2026 NCHA Summer Spectacular, pushing “Shotty’s” lifetime earnings past $573,910.
The Summer Spectacular win itself paid $36,106, and when paired with the $35,216 Valley Equine Incentive and Chrome Cash side pot, his total haul came to $77,955.
“As I walked into the herd, I was just trying not to embarrass him,” Platt said. “It’s his last run in Fort Worth because he’s 6, and I don’t mean to sound corny, but I just didn’t want to go have a bad trip on him. I really wanted to make sure I got him up there and got him shown, and that I removed myself as being the variable. I wanted to just go out there and make him proud.“
Platt did just that, setting the bar from early in the first set of the finals and letting his peers attempt to match it.
“The cattle are always the tough variable, and they were especially tough [in Fort Worth],” Platt said. “They were tricky and fast. But when the cattle are tough, it shows which horses that can really control and handle a cow.”
Three Runs to Finals Day
To get to the finals, LBR Hangem (Dual Reyish x Hangem High Pep x Hickorys Indian Pep) marked a 221.5 in the first go and 224 in the second for a 445.5 two-go total. Then, they advanced out of the Semifinals with a 219.5 before the 226 in the finals sealed the title.
“He’s always unbelievable in the second round,” Platt said. “It just feels like he always thinks in that second round that we need to make up points.”
Platt noted his third cow in the semifinals gave them some trouble, but the 219.5 had them two points inside the finals cutoff and a clean slate ahead of them.
On Saturday, the Will Rogers Coliseum filled throughout the morning as the intermediate finals run, buzzing with anticipation for the classic challenge and derby finals set for the afternoon.
Clay Johnson settled the herd for the first set of the classic challenge.
“Clay just does such a great job, settled the crap out of those cows,” Platt said. “It just made it easy for me. I just had to get up there, get off that herd, get my hand down in a good spot. That was the only strategy.”
The cheering was so loud that Platt didn’t hear the two-and-a-half minute buzzer, and only stopped when he saw Johnson celebrating.
“I was like, well, surely he wouldn’t be whooping if we weren’t done,” Platt recounded. “So that’s what I was laughing about at the end of the run.”
More Shotty Fans in the Fold
Now syndicated, LBR Hangem carries more people invested in his success than ever. But Platt said that hasn’t changed how he approaches showing the stallion.
“At the end of the day, he’s my horse,” Platt said. “I know he’s everybody’s now, but he’s mine. We’ve had him for a while now, and [the syndicate] doesn’t change anything for me. I just keep doing the exact same thing we’ve been doing with him. At this stage he’s gotten really easy to prepare. He doesn’t need worked down, more rode down. He’s the same every time, and very predictable.”
Platt, who turned 38 this month and has shown in the open ranks for 20 years, credited wife Rebecca for getting the stallion ready, along with helpers Johnson, Lloyd Cox, Geoffrey Sheehan and Grant Setnicka.
He also got to share the win with his 8-year-old son, Carter.
“The only bad part about it is Carter just thinks we win every time,” Platt said. “He’s getting a little spoiled.”
What’s Next
Platt’s next stop is the West Texas Futurity in Amarillo, where he’s chasing the NCHA Open Horse of the Year title on LBR Hangem.
“West Texas is full-on for me,” Platt said. “I really want to win the Horse of the Year on that horse, and West Texas counts for points toward that. I’d like to wrap that [title] up in the next couple of shows if I can.”
Platt said locking up the title now matters most because of the field chasing him.
“You never leave it up to chance,” Platt said. “The Horse of the Year deal, the 4-year-olds have such an advantage, and the ones behind me are 4-year-olds.”
After West Texas, Platt is aiming LBR Hangem at the Run For A Million.