By: Kendra Santos
Cajun tie-down roper Shane Hanchey won his first gold buckle in 2013. He grabbed his first gold medal and $28,450 at the $562,500 Utah Days of ’47 Rodeo in Salt Lake City this summer, and the possibility of a $1 million grand prize has his attention.
“I’ve always prided myself in being a no-mistakes roper,” said Hanchey, 32, who this year looks to be headed to his 13th Wrangler National Finals Rodeo come December. “I need to let my hair down a little more often.”
When the chips were down in the Gold Medal Round at the Days of ’47, Hanchey delivered an 8.87-second run from the back of Ryder Brinkman’s 6-year-old bay mare, Chex. He’ll take his best shot at a second-straight World Champions Rodeo Alliance title at the December 14-17 Cowtown Christmas in Fort Worth. The $1 Triple Crown of Rodeo presented by the Lazy E Arena is available to any athlete(s) who manage to win three straight WCRA majors.
“That million creeps into your thoughts,” said Hanchey, who’s the husband of 2022 Days of ’47 bronze breakaway roping medalist Taylor Hanchey. “I’ll obviously be in Fort Worth, but you can’t really put that in the forefront until you win two in a row. I just roped against seven guys for $25,000. I can’t believe everybody’s not doing this.”
