Dancing Rain with Frankel foal fetches £4.2m at auction
Champion mare Dancing Rain, who is carrying a foal by the prodigious Frankel, has sold at auction for four million guineas (£4.2m).
The retired 2011 Oaks winner was sold in Newmarket to John Ferguson, bloodstock advisor for Sheikh Mohammed who owns the town's Godolphin stables.
Frankel, the world's top-rated racehorse, has been in stud after his 14th straight win last year.
Mr Ferguson said: "Sheikh Mohammed felt that she's a jewel."
"This game is all about reducing the odds and for us to get the greatest chance of producing a Classic winner, buying Dancing Rain reduces the odds," he added.
Dancing Rain, a daughter of Danehill Dancer and formerly owned by brothers Martin and Lee Taylor, was a renowned front-runner on the flat and also claimed the British Champions Fillies' And Mares' Stakes at Ascot in 2011.
Auctioneers Tattersalls said Dancing Rain was the only Oaks winner carrying her first foal to be offered at public auction in the past 50 years and she achieved the second highest ever auction price for a Broodmare in Europe.
Frankel, who is owned by Saudi prince Khaled Abdullah, was retired following a 14th win in 14 races in the prestigious Champion Stakes at Ascot last year.
He now commands a stud fee of £125,000 a time to sire possible future champions.
By the end of his first year at stud, he was thought to have earned as much as £15m - five times his total prize money from racing.
Frankel was formerly trained by Sir Henry Cecil, who died earlier this year.
Dancing Rain's foal is due on 2 February.