The Ellis County Sheriff’s Office auction that included Mary Walker’s World Champion barrel horse Latte has concluded with a surprise and emotional ending. At 10 A.M. this morning at the Waxahachie Rodeo Complex the court ordered sale of Perculatin, aka Latte, took place while eyes of the professional rodeo world were watching closely.
There were many different opinions regarding this issue and we are all glad that it has at least come to an end with the sale of this fantastic horse who unfortunately was stuck in the middle of a legal dispute. I have read and been given many facts and have reported as to the information and statements that I have been given on this subject and am sorry for those of you that do not see it that way.
Like I have said in earlier stories that I gladly report on ALL information I am given by either side of any issues that I report on. I have received hate mail and have had many condescending remarks made towards me and this website. For those that need to slander this site or any of its employees feel free NOT to follow and read the stories that are posted here.
It is a free world and you are free not to come to this site if you do not believe that it is trustworthy or worth the time of day to get REAL information from. Okay sorry rant over, now to the rest of the story at hand regarding the auction today.
The sale brought a total of $875,000 by the time everything was said and done. The winning bidder who we will talk about in just a little bit has four hours to post the “cash in hand” or make a wire transfer directly to the county court to make things complete and if that does not happen the sale will start over once again.
Fear not when I say that I have a hard time believing that this will be the case with the knowledge of who has placed the winning bid. The winning bid was placed by Mark Wallace of Justin Discount Boots in Justin, Texas which brings up another interesting point.
We have found out that Latte was given back to Mary Walker once the winning bid was reached and will stay with the 2012 Barrel Racing World Champion.
2012 Barrel Racing World Champion Mary Walker and Latte
The interesting side note to Justin Discount Boots placing the high bid at auction and handing over this animal athlete to Mary is one that you might not expect. It has been known that Byron Walker, Mary’s husband, is an “employee” at the store and has a close working relationship with the key players in the purchase. Either way I am just glad that Latte is taken care of and this all can be put to rest.
From the initial reports coming in from the auction are that the exact numbers regarding what will the total amount owed to Cheri after the sale will be displayed next week. I know that this has been trying for Cheri and her entire family and I believe that she has handled this whole thing with nothing but class. All of us know that this started out as a close friendship and business deal and at the end of it all has ruined not only a good friendship but has cast a dark shadow over the sport of professional rodeo as well.
I would like to wish Cheri and her family a thank you for being the people that you are and, regardless of how it ended, being happy with the way things turned out in the end for both parties involved.
Trust me when I say this, that I know Mary and Byron are not complete angels in this mess and things have been pretty patchy between Cheri and the Walkers for quite some time. I have always said that I would like to hear from both sides of the table and have done my best to be as unbiased in my reporting as the information and statements have allowed me to be.
I hope that everyone involved in this horrible situation which came to an end early this afternoon can put everything to rest as it was settled where it should have been, in a court of law. I know that this has been a very emotional and exhausting case but I ask each of you not to cast judgement on either party and just be happy that it is resolved. I do not and will not talk bad about anyone and I would ask each and every one of you for the same respect going forward.
Jason: To be honest, I don’t know you nor have I ever heard of you (well, let me rephrase, I don’t remember hearing you announce). After reading this article, and definitely not knowing any “between the lines” details, I am impressed in the way you handled the reporting of Latte and Mary. I am a little outraged about this Cheri, but again, not knowing any intimate details, I cannot imagine someone having the ability to take my precious horse away from me. Thank you for the article you have written, and for your unbiased opinions. I will definitely be listening for you name from now on.