Five minutes with Frankel or a new car

Five minutes with Frankel or a new car?
BY KATHERINE FIDLER 4:06PM 31 OCT 2017
A bump in stud fee for Frankel from £125,000 to £175,000 launches him alongside the world's top footballers in terms of earnings potential - think Gareth Bale and the £34 million a year he pockets at Real Madrid.

While star strikers earn their eight-figure salaries from action on the pitch, for Frankel it is his antics away from the limelight bringing in the big bucks - easily surpassing the near £3m he earned during his days on course.

However, with a spare £175,000, how many of us would spend it on the ingredients for a small horse, who would hopefully turn into a bigger, successful horse?

Millennials would be far more likely to take their cash and turn it into the house many have so far struggled to secure - take your pick from a delightful detached two-bed in Devon, a four-bed terrace in the north-east or a sliver of your own apartment in the capital. That and the latest iPhone, plus a spare for when the screen breaks, obviously.

Alternatively, pick up a vintage 1971 Fiat Dino Spider for the same sum, or splash out on a new Aston Martin DB9 - only slightly faster than Frankel but with £20,000 left over to cover the insurance.

Looking for more of an investment? If eight tons of Iranian beluga caviar doesn't float your boat at £20 per gram, 180 ounces of gold might hold its value - and smell - a little better.

Frankel wins the Champion Stakes to end an unforgettable career
Not to put too fine a point on it, but five minutes with Frankel - or any other top sire - is one of the most expensive commodities in the world. In 2017 the world champion covered 195 individual mares - that's a quick and very unromantic liaison with a different mare up to three times a day between February 15 and mid-June.

While not every 'shift' will have returned a cool six-figure sum - Frankel covers a large number of Juddmonte's own mares - a repeat performance in 2018 will keep him among the highest-earnings stallions in the world alongside his own sire Galileo, Newmarket neighbour Dubawi and US Triple Crown hero American Pharoah. Even if Frankel covered only one paying mare, he'd still earn more than the prime minister - opinions vary as to who is more effective at their job.

And remember, for that £175,000 breeders are guaranteed a foal. If you're holding out to pick up a 'cheap' one at the sales, don't forget that Frankel yearlings sold for an average of 565,188gns (£593,447) at this year's round of sales. That's a much bigger house, several Aston Martins, or Paul Pogba for a fortnight.

Then again, breeding racehorses isn't just about the money, it's about the dream - and unfortunately money is no guarantee there.

Got a spare £175,000 Here's what you can buy:

1 four-bed terrace

1 new Aston Martin DB9

180 ounces of gold

788 grams of white truffle

63 grams of plutonium