Mandie O’Neil and Clara Mas topped the EQN Sports #18 Rated Youth, sorting 30 head in 133.68 seconds over three rounds at the 2026 Cinch RSNC World Finals in Fort Worth, Texas, for $4,084.
O’Neil & Mas: Strangers Turned Champions
O’Neil, of Brenham, Texas, and Mas, of Allentown, New Jersey, had never ridden together before they entered the pen for the #18 Rated Youth. Rather than take a blind draw, the two picked each other.
Their plan was to start slow and feel out the herd during the Youth Finals Night on Monday, June 8, but the cattle laid out early, and the pair sped up to match them, with trainer Tanner Keith coaching from the rail.
“They started laying out, and we started booking it,” O’Neil said.
Mas, who turned 13 following the Finals, came in chasing redemption after a rough finish at the Finals last year.
“I really wanted to win this one, and I was feeling something,” Mas said.
O’Neil, 16, has been ranch sorting for five years and gravitates toward the youth classes because she already knows most of the field.
“The youth riders are pretty good, especially in the #18,” O’Neil said.
This was O’Neil’s second straight World Champion EQN Sports #18 Rated Youth title. She won it in 2025 with Kai Clark.
LT Col Rebel & Mo Money: Steady as They Come
O’Neil rode LT Col Rebel (Metallic Rebel x Hey Bobba Rey), a 2019 red roan gelding known as “Rebel,” whom she got from Colleen Galloway three years ago.
“He’s consistent,” she said, praising the gelding. “He doesn’t back up out of the gate, he doesn’t get scared. He does about everything. He even ropes.”
Mas was on her reliable mount, Mo Money, an 8-year-old by Bet Hesa Cat out of TR Oubles Reyd. Two years ago, Mo survived a serious wreck that killed two other horses and kept him out of the saddle for a full year. Last year marked his first time sorting again since the accident, and he hasn’t missed a step since he got back in the pen.
“Everything I’ve ever won is on him,” Mas said. “He just always does everything correct. I never have to ask him for anything.”
Mas had a big week beyond this win, too. She placed seventh in the Mil-Spec #6/4 Inc with Isabella Silveira for $3,418 in the Finals Night on Wed., June 10. Then, she kicked off the next morning winning third in the Graduated Rookie #6 with Shyla Narachi for $6,762. In total, Mas earned $14,264 across the three classes.
#18 HC Rated Youth — 2026 World Finals Champions
| Champions | Mandie O’Neil (Brenham, Texas) & Clara Mas (Allentown, New Jersey) |
| Winning run | 133.68 on 30 head |
| First-place payout | $4,084 |
| Total class payout | $14,782 |
Payouts
| Place | Team | Payout |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mandie O’Neil / Clara Mas | $4,084 |
| 2 | Bodee Kruger / Bronson Kruger | $3,332 |
| 3 | Brooke Bielski / Haiden Blackmon | $2,130 |
| 4 | Ellen Adams / Gage Anderson | $1,378 |
| 5 | Gage Anderson / Viann Hegge | $1,240 |
| 6 | Lucas Soares / Shyla Narachi | $1,102 |
| 7 | Adell Hegge / Sidney Rasmussen | $826 |
| 8 | Brooke Bielski / Adley Reneau | $690 |
