Cali Brookshire, Joel Lesh Set the Pace with World Finals Championship in Spalding Labs Western Heritage All Levels Ranch Sorting at the 2026 Cinch RSNC World Finals

Familiarity paid dividends for sorters Cali Brookshire and Joel Lesh in the Spalding Labs Western Heritage All Levels at the 2026 Cinch RSNC World Finals, where a time of 218.12 on 39 head paid $7,972 and set their week in Fort Worth off on the right foot.

“We’ve ridden together a lot,” said Brookshire, a recent Texas A&M graduate. “I used to stay at [the Leshes’] place, and we know what each other is doing. It makes it simpler.”

That familiarity allowed them to stack three solid runs, entering the final round with 29 head sorted. In their third round, Brookshire noted that a series of no-times ahead of them kept them on their toes.

“We thought about switching the herd over to the other side of the pen, but also, I kept numbers and the remaining numbers were good cows,” Brookshire said. “So, they trotted out in order, a little bit.”

In the Western Heritage classes, riders can’t lope or hustle cattle with their voice, which makes position, tempo and a smooth ride vital.

First Win of the World Finals

As their championship round came closer, Lesh’s intuition led the team to flip which side of the pen they sorted from.

“The cattle were getting tougher, so we were just focused on riding right,” said Lesh, who’s earned more than $550,000 in Cinch RSNC lifetime earnings alone. “We wanted to just keep riding the run, keep momentum.”

As the run unfolded, Brookshire and Lesh traded out of the gate like clockwork. They quietly turned back the cattle that stepped up to the gate, gaining speed as they went. For the last few cows, Lesh guarded the gate while Brookshire pushed them past.

“As a competitor, I definitely go a little faster than I need to sometimes, and I like to talk to my partners a lot,” Brookshire said. “I try to be smooth when I can, but sometimes you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do.”

Powered by Mares: Alani and Rose

For the win, Brookshire rode her new mare, Metallic Mary, who she calls “Alani.” She purchased the 9-year-old in January from Louie and Niki Saggione.

“She had just come out of the cutting pen, so she’s never been ranch sorted or team penned on,” Brookshire explained. “She’s coming along. She loves to trot, so she’s really good at the Western Heritage classes.”

Alani is sired by Metallic Cat and out of Instant Mary, by SR Instant Choice. Brookshire said she’s been working on getting Alani to go forward toward the cow and unlearn the cutting habit of staying back and “catching” the cow.

Lesh rode a red roan named Cattys Rose. “Rose” is a 9-year-old mare sired by the versatile Catty Hawk and out of Gar Bar Lena, by Duals Blue Boon.

“She just came out of the breeding barn,” Lesh said. “I was excited to have her back in the program.”

For both riders, the win was a sweet way to start their World Finals experience. Lesh double dipped in the Western Heritage All Levels with Larry Newport, finishing No. 6 for an additional payout. He also claimed a fourth-place finish in the Priefert Open Gold Shootout, snagged a check for coming in sixth in the #10 Youth Beginner/Adult Gate class, and earned another World Championship in the All Levels on Saturday night—where he also finished seventh—earning more than $12,500 at the World Finals to close out his week in Fort Worth. Brookshire caught a check in the #18 Bareback/Bridleless class with Cloraldo Leal Jr., bringing her weekly total to $3,655.

Spalding Labs Western Heritage All Levels — 2026 World Finals Champions

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From The Ranch Sorter

Summer 2026 Issue

This article appears in the Summer 2026 issue of The Ranch Sorter.

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