After five weeks on the road, Tyler Baze was being swarmed by his three kids in the last few hours he had before getting back on an airplane. “Just a minute, Princess,” Baze said to 5-year-old Amelia, clamoring for his attention. “Let Daddy finish this phone call, and we’ll water the all the plants together.” Baze returned to the heartless reporter on the other end of the line who didn’t think twice about sucking precious family time away from a guy who was leaving again that afternoon. The rider was heading first to Ellis Park for a full Friday card and then on to Delaware Park on Saturday, where he would be riding La Canada Stakes winner Escape Clause in the Delaware Handicap. For the past five years, Baze has been the hardest-working jockey in California, with more mounts than any of the rest of a colony that has included such stalwarts as Flavien Prat, Drayden Van Dyke, Joe Talamo, and Rafael Bejarano. This year, however, with interruptions at Santa Anita related to track conditions, as well as a contraction in field sizes, Baze found himself with a lot more energy and ambition than actual opportunities. At the urging of track announcer Vic Stauffer and agent Jose Santos Jr., Baze relocated to Oaklawn Park in late March. From there he began riding full time at Churchill Downs and now Ellis Park, where he has been riding first call for the Steve Asmussen stable. “I love California,” Baze said. “Love riding there and love the people. It’s my home, and it’s not easy being away from the kids. Thank god there’s FaceTime. “But this opportunity came up, and I had to take it,” he added. “I asked Steve if this could lead to bigger things and he said, ‘Oh, yeah.’ So I’m going on faith.” Escape Clause is trained by Don Schnell, who owns the daughter of Going Commando with a partnership. The mare is also quite rightly the pride of Manitoba, where she was bred. In taking a swing at the Delaware Handicap, Baze and the Escape Clause gang are tapping into one of the most history-rich events in the game. Originally called the New Castle Handicap, the race was shifted to mile and one-quarter in 1951 and for many years offered the biggest purse anywhere for fillies and mares on dirt. At today’s $750,000, it is topped only by the Breeders’ Cup Distaff. The list of winners has been predictably ripe. Hall of Famers and champions like Royal Delta, Susan’s Girl, Blind Luck, Songbird, Relaxing, Our Mims, Late Bloomer, Fleet Indian, Straight Deal, Airman’s Guide, Old Hat, and Open Fire won Delaware Handicaps. So did Busanda (dam of Buckpasser), Flower Bowl (dam of Graustark), Obeah (dam of Go for Wand), Jameela (dam of Gulch), and Likely Exchange (dam of Creme Fraiche). Escape Clause has been that far before. Last fall she finished a close third in the Grade 3 Red Carpet at Del Mar going 11 furlongs on grass. Baze joined the team this year when the mare made her 5-year-old debut in winning the Grade 3 La Canada Stakes at Santa Anita. But he had laid the groundwork months before. “When she got put up on a DQ in that race at Del Mar, I congratulated Don and said if he ever needed a rider to let me know,” Baze said. “I had been watching her races on replays and saw how talented she was. On top of that, Uncle Gary told me that Scott had been working her in Phoenix and couldn’t believe how good she was.” The race Baze referred to was the Kathryn Crosby of last Nov. 9, in which Baze rode the third-place finisher. His uncle is Gary Stevens, and Scott is Gary’s brother. This is called networking. “From the first time I got on her, I knew what kind of animal she was,” Baze said. “She has a high cruising speed, and a turn of foot that is right now. You say go and she goes. The first time I rode her I didn’t know that about her. If I had, I probably would have waited a little longer, because she opened up five lengths on those others in about two jumps, like crazy.” Escape Clause and Baze toyed with the Harry Henson at Sunland Park, then ran Midnight Bisou and Mike Smith to a heart-stoppingnose in the Apple Blossom at Oaklawn Park. “I had a rough trip that day,” Baze said. “I got shut off a little going into the first turn, and then another horse moved at the five-eighths pole to force my hand. For her to dig in and fight like she did all the way down the lane showed me a lot. Galloping out, Mike says, ‘I don’t want to run against her again.’ ” Escape Clause did run against Midnight Bisou again in the Ogden Phipps on Belmont Stakes day, but this time finished a distant fourth. “You can toss that race out,” Baze said. “She vanned from Minnesota to New York for that race, and I don’t think she was quite recovered from the trip. Don took her rightto Delaware Park after that and has been there since. “I’ve never ridden at Delaware Parkbefore,” Baze added. “So this should be a fun adventure.”