A stakes-winner on the eve of a breeding season is invaluable for a young stallion and Kitchwin Hills Dane Shadow kept his name in lights following the win of the Chris Waller-trained Shellscrape in the Group 3 $125,000 San Domenico Stakes (1000m) at Randwick on Saturday.

Shellscrape was quite heavily campaigned at two, making nine starts with three wins including a 4 1/2 length romp in a valuable restricted event at Doomben on June 8 before capturing the $100,000 Listed Australia Post Bicentennial Stakes (1400m) at Eagle Farm.

Waller was quick to praise the colt"s toughness following the San Domenico Stakes.

"He had a lot of starts as a two-year-old and he keeps getting better," Waller said. "Nothing fazes him."

As the only stakes-winner in the field Shellscrape (Dane Shadow x Kisma (Snippets)) carried a stakes-penalty. He was given a cosy run by Hugh Bowman before dashing clear to win by a length from Sniplaz (Zaha) with a further 2 1/2 lengths back to fellow Queenslander Kiss Me Katy (Mull Of Kintyre) in third place.

The 3YO colt has earnings of $291,650 with 4 wins, 4 seconds and 1 third from 10 starts.

Reported as sold for $40,000 at the 2007 Magic Millions National Weanling Sale, Shellscrape races in the ownership of his breeders Geoff and Mary Grimish.

He is the third foal of the Snippets mare Kisma, a half-sister to dual Magic Millions Stayers Cup winner Drizzle. Kisma has a 2YO full sister and a yearling brother to Shellscrape and was bred back to Dane Shadow again last year.

Dane Shadow was one of the real overachievers with his first crop of 2-year olds last season. With 6 winners from 29 runners for earnings of $703,245 he finished third to Charge Forward and Fastnet Rock as leading freshman stallion.

While Shellscrape was his star performer, Dane Shadow also had a number of metropolitan winners including the Randwick winner Shadow Assassin, who finished an honourable fourth in the Magic Millions 2YO Classic at the Gold Coast.

The son of Danehill and the champion racemare Slight Chance has earned a fee increase at Kitchwin Hills this season to $16,500, up from $7,700 last year.