Dane Shadow, in residence at Kitchwin Hills in the NSW Hunter Valley, was one of a handful of young stallions to star in first-season honours for 2008-09.

The son of the former classic winning Slight Chance was off to an early start last spring and while he was without the numbers of some of his rivals, he managed to maintain the momentum to season"s close.

No surprise, then, that Dane Shadow claimed the first Group race of the new season for three-year-olds.

His best performer in 2008-09 was Shellscrape and this tough colt kept up his good work by taking out the Group 3 AJC San Domenico Stakes (1000m) at Randwick on Saturday.

Five other first-crop winners saw Dane Shadow finish third on the first-season sires" list behind the Red Ransom horse Charge Forward and Danehill"s Fastnet Rock.

Charge Forward won the honours via Headway"s second place in the Golden Slipper Stakes. She won $776,263, or two-thirds of her sire"s seasonal total.

Fastnet Rock and Shamardal had big numbers for 12 winners apiece, but Not A Single Doubt bettered the pair by one individual winner, for the most number of wins (15) from 39 starters.

But it was Dane Shadow that was the first cab off the rank in 2009-10.

Shellscrape was tested nine times at two years to return three wins and four minor placings and earnings of $216,650.

He added a further $75,000 from the San Domenico Stakes and his trainer, Chris Waller, is aiming him for the Group 2 Up And Coming Stakes on Saturday week - a race in which his sire finished second in his brief career of 12 starts.

But Shellscrape is already a big winner for his breeder-owners, Geoff and Mary Grimish, who bought him back for $40,000 through agent Vin Cox as a weanling at the Magic Millions 2007 national sale.

Shellscrape"s mother, Kisma, has produced a brother and a sister to the San Domenico Stakes winner but she missed to Dane Shadow last spring.

Story by Tony Arnold