Rodi Torres, of Waller, Texas, and Kevin Reese, of Fayetteville, Tennessee, topped the Priefert Open Gold Shootout, sorting 30 head in 129.11 seconds over three rounds at the 2026 Cinch RSNC World Finals in Fort Worth, Texas, for $11,204.
A Last-Minute Team
Not all great teams spend years in the making. Sometimes it just takes 20 minutes.
“I picked up Rodi right before this. It just kind of come together,” Reese said. “We ride a lot alike, and it just works. Good Lord is on our side. That’s all I can tell you.”
Torres wasn’t even planning on riding in the class until Reese asked him for a ride 20 minutes before it started.
“I’ve rode with Kevin before here in the past. We very much get along in there,” Torres said.
A Finals Worth the Trip
The win marked Torres’ first trip back to the World Finals in seven years.
“It’s been a rough week, though, so to have this happen tonight has for sure helped out,” Torres said. “But it sure is glad to be back. It’s exciting.”
The win set the tone for the rest of Torres’ week. He also won the #18 HC Bareback/Bridleless class with Payton Brzymialkiewicz for $1,350 and added a third-place finish in the same class with Kori Haile for $718.
The Horses that Made the Win
Torres rode Jelly Rollz (Rollz Royce x Miss Metallica), a 2020 bay gelding owned by Scott Henderson, who has only been sorting for about six months.
“He’s won a bunch of money in the cutting pen but did not sort before he came over to us,” Torres praised the gelding. “He’s given me goosebumps sitting there in the gate when he’s cowing and just sprawls out and is just sitting there. It’s so cool, he’s a special boy.”
Reese rode Sunny Reys Ahead (Dual Reyish x Reys Pitchfork 10), a 2020 mare he calls “Yella.”
“She’s been really, really special to us,” Reese said. “My little girl’s won a ton on her. She’s just a freak. I don’t know how else to say it. She does everything I ask and gives 130% every time I ask.”
Betting on Luck
Heading into the final round, Torres had already clocked a difficult herd, including one troublesome cow that had given other teams fits.
“When I saw that herd come in, I knew exactly what it was,” Torres said about the challenging herd. “You can’t make things happen in there. It very much has to happen on its own, especially on a tough herd like that.”
Luckily, the draw broke their way. “We got a good draw,” Torres said. “It laid out for us to get that 10 head. We didn’t have to fight off a whole lot. The trash cow didn’t come at us one time. That was crazy, because it ran over just about everybody else. He was the winner of the night. I was very surprised it didn’t come at us, but a lot of luck was involved.”
“I’d rather be lucky than good,” he added.
Two Platinum Hall of Famers
Torres began competing with the Cinch RSNC in 2010, making his first trip to the World Finals in 2016—the year he became a first-time World Champion in the All Levels. He’s a Platinum member of the Cinch RSNC Hall of Fame.
Reese joined the Cinch RSNC a year later, in 2011, and made his own first trip to the World Finals in 2018. That year, he claimed his first World Champion buckles in the All Levels and the #14 Ranch Hand. He’s also a Cinch RSNC Featured Trainer and a Platinum member of the Cinch RSNC Hall of Fame.
Open Gold Shootout — 2026 World Finals Champions
| Champions | Rodi Torres (Waller, Texas) & Kevin Reese (Fayetteville, Tennessee) |
| Winning run | 129.11 on 30 head |
| First-place payout | $11,204 |
| Total class payout | $28,008 |
Payouts
| Place | Team | Payout |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rodi Torres / Kevin Reese | $11,204 |
| 2 | Trever Field / Colette Lesh | $8,402 |
| 3 | Chris Mangold / Logan Wolfe | $5,602 |
| 4 | Tanner Keith / Joel Lesh | $2,800 |
