FRENCH 3YO HURDLER TOPS DECEMBER SALE
Dec 19, 2025
Friday 19th December 2025 – French three-year-old hurdler Monark Wood has topped ThoroughBid’s December Sale at £22,000 and will head across the Channel to be trained in Wiltshire by Max Comley.
Consigned by Davide Satalia in France, Monark Wood was beaten just a length in a hurdles race at Fontainebleau and is a half-brother to this year’s Grade 2 Persian War winner, Sticktotheplan.
Speaking in reaction to the sale, trainer and seller Satalia said: “I’m thrilled with the sale. ThoroughBid has proved to be a nice and easy platform to use which gives us the opportunity to sell without disrupting the horse’s regime.
“Selling online like this is a very attractive way to work for us and we’re pleased with the result. We’d like to wish Max Comley the best of luck and look forward to following the horse’s next steps.”
Henry de Bromhead’s Gentleman Joe was another eyecatching purchase, going to Newmarket handler Matt Crawley for £20,000. With a rating of 121 over hurdles and 91 on the Flat, he’s proven his versatility with wins in both disciplines and offers a breadth of opportunities for his new connections.
Commenting on the purchase, Crawley said: “We’re very happy to have got Gentleman Joe for the price. It seems a good price for a horse of his ability and we look forward to getting going with him.
“I think we’ll try him over hurdles to begin with and then maybe a beginners’ chase towards the back-end of the season, but we won’t over race him as we’d like to target some of the big staying handicaps on the Flat. He’s been bought for an owner who currently has horses in the yard, Mrs Angela Stokes, and we’re hopeful he can give us a lot of fun days. He’s got a competitive mark and good level of form.
“We found the whole buying process with ThoroughBid very transparent and easy. It’s nice and easy to set an account up and bid, and we’ve come away with a nice horse for a fair price.”
Elsewhere, recent Hexham point-to-point winner Mister Frostie sold for £15,000.
James Richardson, CEO at ThoroughBid, commented: “It’s great to round off 2025 with another successful online auction, particularly with the sale of Monark Wood for French trainer, Davide Satalia. We’ve had some very positive feedback about the ease of using our platform for buying and selling horses from abroad and look forward to doing more of the same in 2026. I’m sure Max Comley will be excited to see Monark Wood arrive over from France, and we look forward to following his progress.
“Consignments from Henry de Bromhead always attract plenty of interest, and Gentleman Joe was no exception, being knocked down to young up-and-coming trainer Matt Crawley for £20,000. We wish him the very best of luck with his new purchase.
“Finally, I would like to thank all of our clients for their support in 2025, which has been our best year to date. We wish them all a very happy Christmas and look forward to working together again in the new year.”