Newcastle rolled to victory in the Open Trot at Saratoga Casino and Raceway on Sunday afternoon (March 13).

The Kyle Spagnola trainee cruised to score on the first Sunday of action for the season and handled the step up into the $15,000 feature with ease.

Jordan Derue moved Newcastle out to the early lead where he would withstand constant pressure from two-time defending local Trotter of the Year Slugfest (Jay Randall) en route to victory in 2:02.4 for the 1-1/16 mile distance. Slugfest held strong for second while longshot Flyhawk Thriller (Stephane Bouchard) earned the show spot.

Newcastle, who earned just shy of $100,000 in 2015, made his local debut in November and is now four-for-four at the Spa. The four-year-old Cantab Hall trotter paid $31.60 to win as a 14-1 longshot while the exacta with Slugfest returned $190.50. The triple came back $691.

Newcastle is owned by Bill Donovan of Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.

(With files from Saratoga Raceway)