SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - The switch from turf to dirt and the late scratch of the favorite at the gate proved a perfect storm for Magic Cross, who took advantage of both situations to score an easy and popular 4 1/2-length win in Wednesday’s $150,000 P.G. Johnson Stakes, the main event on the first program of the final week of the 2023 Saratoga meeting. Heavy showers early Wednesday morning further soaked a turf course that already had taken on quite a bit of rain earlier in the week. Management had little recourse but to move all six scheduled grass races to the main track, including the mile and one-sixteenth P.G. Johnson for 2-year-old fillies, a race ultimately decided at one mile out of the Wilson chute. Only five of the original 11 entrants for the Johnson stayed in after the surface change, including main-track-only entry Miz Sense, who was the even-money favorite as the field began to load for the race. But all that changed when Miz Sense reared up, struck the rail, unseated jockey Jose Ortiz, and ran off. Despite being caught relatively quickly by the outrider, Miz Sense was ordered scratched by the stewards, leaving a field of four with Magic Cross becoming the prohibitive 3-5 favorite. Magic Cross would have been making her turf debut if the Johnson had gone off as scheduled, having made her only two previous starts on dirt. She won a maiden special weight dash by 7 1/4 lengths at Belmont Park to launch her career before finishing a distant fourth in the Grade 3 Adirondack here 24 days earlier. :: Get Saratoga Clocker Reports from Mike Welsch and the Clocker Team. Available every race day.  Magic Cross broke a step slow but quickly recovered to gain control along the inside leaving the chute. She contested the pace from inside Takemetothebeach, fanned out wide while appearing to bump with that rival a couple of times entering the stretch, ultimately shook free leaving the furlong grounds, and was not menaced thereafter.  Takemetothebeach was easily second best, followed by Dancing Spirit and Villi Olento, who was eased to the wire while far back. Magic Cross was ridden to victory by Junior Alvarado, who put an exclamation mark on a memorable afternoon after having been named the winner of the 2023 Mike Venezia Memorial Award earlier in the day.   Magic Cross, a daughter of Good Magic, is trained by Bill Mott for owner James Karp. He covered the distance over a track upgraded from muddy to fast as the day progressed in 1:40.15 seconds and paid $3.30. “You get lucky sometimes, these races come off the grass, scratch down, and you’re just better than the rest of them,” said Mott, who scratched Gala Brand from the race to compete on the turf against males in Thursday’s Grade 3 With Anticipation. “We ran against different horses last time [in the Adirondack]. The winner of that race [Brightwork] is a very top filly. “It was a good trip today, and we thought she would appreciate more ground. Jose Lezcano rode her last time and he thought a little bit of a stretch out would help her.” :: DRF's 2023 Saratoga headquarters: Previews, past performances, picks, recaps, news, and more. Mott said despite Magic Cross becoming a stakes winner on dirt, he would try the filly on grass somewhere down the road, perhaps in the Grade 2 Miss Grillo at Aqueduct on Oct. 1. “I would pursue a turf start with her, she’s deserving,” said Mott. “I’m not sure which surface she’s be better on. I need to try the turf to see if she moves forward there.” :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.