GET SOCIAL 
SHOP NOW AT:
WRANGLER.COM

Shane Hanchey Wins San Antonio for First Time

By Tracy Renck

SAN ANTONIO – As Shane Hanchey glanced down at the buckle he was holding it was obvious what this win meant to him.

Moments earlier, the Sulphur, La., cowboy won the prestigious San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo for the first time in his decorated career.

Hanchey clinched the win by winning the 10-man finals with a 7.2-second time Saturday night in the ProRodeo Tour Rodeo at the AT&T Center, earning $15,000 for the run and an event-best $23,500 for the rodeo.

 
“I won second (in San Antonio) in 2017, and I’ve been wanting this buckle for a long time,” said Hanchey, 29. “It is pretty cool to get it. I’ve won Houston and I’ve won Fort Worth twice. I was missing San Antonio, and I got it.”

Hanchey, the 2013 PRCA Tie-down Roping World Champion, claimed the San Antonio buckle with that $23,500.

“I’ve been very fortunate to win a lot of big rodeos,” said Hanchey, who also won the 2013 Wrangler NFR average championship. “For whatever reason, I didn’t know if the first few years (here at San Antonio) if the format was just not my style because I’m more of an average type roper, and everybody kind of wants to count me out when you have to go fast. For whatever reason, I just kind of had a tough time until two years ago when I got in the groove and figured out how you need to advance and figured out the format and knew I didn’t need to finish first all three times in my group to advance.”

In Bracket 5, Hanchey placed second in the first round (8.3 seconds) and second round (7.7 seconds).

Hanchey was the fourth cowboy out in the final round, and he had some nervous moments waiting to see if his 7.2-second time would hold.

“It felt like an hour after I roped, and when you have guys like Tuf (Cooper) and the young kid, Shad (Mayfield), he’s going to be around for a long time, he’s a gamer,” Hanchey said. “Anytime Tuf is behind you, you know your lead is not safe. It’s just awesome to win a rodeo of this caliber. That stuff just doesn’t happen every day. I had $24,000 won coming into this week, and it works out good to earn this much money in San Antonio. Having a good winter also doesn’t put a strain on my horses in the summer time.”

Cooper, a four-time world champion, three in tie-down roping (2011-12, 2014) and one in all-around (2017), had a no-time in the finals.

Hanchey acknowledged his horse he was riding, Bam Bam, 17, deserved a lot of the credit.

“Bam Bam is getting a little up there in age and miles, and I want to pick and choose what rodeos I’m going to take him to and hopefully have him ready for the NFR,” Hanchey said. “I’ve been fortunate to have good horses, and God willing, if they stay healthy and I stay healthy I will be looking forward to a good year.”

Hanchey is hoping to keep his momentum rolling with other big-money rodeos on the horizon in The American in Arlington, Texas, which ends March 3, and RodeoHouston, which concludes March 16.

“This is something rodeo has been needing for a long time,” Hanchey said. “To win a rodeo like this in San Antonio is awesome, like I said, but the confidence it gives for the next two to three weeks rolling into The American and Houston is pretty awesome.

Tie-down Roping Top 5 Money Winners:

1. Shane Hanchey $23,500
2. Tyson Durfey $20,000
3. Haven Meged $17,500
4. Taylor Santos $11,250
5. Shad Mayfield $10,000

The Top Stock of the San Antonio Show & Rodeo was Frontier Rodeo’s Full Baggage (bareback riding); Cervi Championship Rodeo’s Womanizer (saddle bronc riding); Powder River Rodeo’s Sweet Pro’s Bruiser (bull riding). Scooter, owned by Kyle Irwin and Tyler Pearson, was named the top steer wrestling horse, and the horses Smoke and Ice Cube, owned by team ropers Tate Kirchenschlager and Ross Ashford, were chosen as the top horses in their event.

For more coverage of the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo, check out the March 8 edition of ProRodeo Sports News.

Courtesy of PRCA

Related Content