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Lees this afternoon confirmed McEvoy's booking for the much travelled five-year-old in the $600,000 Group 1 wfa Chipping Norton Stakes (1600m).
A seven times winner from only 17 starts and successful in the United Kingdom, France and Germany, Danceteria races under the Australian Bloodstock banner.
After clinching a Group 1 victory over 2000m on soft ground at Munich last July for his previous trainer David Menuisier, he then finished down the course at his first Australian start in Japanese star Lys Gracieux's $5m Cox Plate (2040m) at Moonee Valley on October 26 before joining Lees' team.
English jockey Jamie Spencer rode him in Germany and at Moonee Valley and also when he finished fourth (only five ran) to champion mare Enable and classy Irish mare Magical (who subsequently won both the Group 1 Irish Champion Stakes and Group 1 Ascot Champion Stakes) in the Group 1 Coral Eclipse Stakes (2002m) at Sandown (UK) last July.
McEvoy rode roughie Unforgotten into third place in last year's Chipping Norton behind now retired Winx and the old marvel Happy Clapper, who lines up again on Saturday.
Lees produced another Australian Bloodstock import Mustajeer to make a successful Sydney debut at Rosehill Gardens last Saturday, but knows it will be a tougher assignment to do the same with Danceteria in the Chipping Norton.
"I'm very happy with him, but not sure he can beat what is going to be a top field first-up at 1600m," Lees said this afternoon.
"But he is going well."
Danceteria was listed at $17 in the opening TAB.com.au market on the opening Group 1 of the Sydney autumn, behind Kiwi ace Te Aka Shark ($2.50) and Avilius ($5).
Hallelujah Boy is also a Chipping Norton entry, but the accomplished wet tracker, with more rain in Brisbane, is likely to head north for the Listed Tattersall's Members' Cup (1600m) at Doomben instead.
Mustajeer has come through his Listed Parramatta Cup (1900m) victory last Saturday in great order and will run next in the 2000m Group 3 Sky High Stakes (at set weights and penalties) at Rosehill on March 14.
That will be his lead-up to the $1.5m Group 1 wfa Tancred Stakes (2400m) there a fortnight later.
He will be joined in the Sky High by stablemate and last year's winner Red Cardinal, who made nice ground although beaten clearly when third to Mustajeer in the Parramatta Cup.
Mugatoo, yet another Australian Bloodstock import who is unbeaten from two Australian starts, will be nominated for both the Listed Randwick City Stakes (2000m) at Randwick on Saturday week and $250,000 Listed Canberra Cup (2000m) two days later.
"I'll have a look at the entries for the two races and then make up my mind which way to go," Lees said.
Mugatoo, who has now won four of his eight starts, arrived in Australia last year as a Benchmark 71 horse and has risen to an 84 rating (he was lifted seven points for his Kensington victory last Wednesday).
Lees won't have a runner in Saturday's Group 1 Surround Stakes (1400m) for three-year-old fillies as he was disappointed with Regimental Band's first-up performance in the Group 2 Light Fingers Stakes (1200m) at Randwick on February 15.
. Lees has nominated seven horses for the $150,000 opening heat of the Provincial Championships on his home track at Newcastle on Saturday.
He will definitely run Occupy (apprentice Sam Clenton) and Stella Sea Sun (Andrew Gibbons) and perhaps a couple of others.
Clenton won the final of the Summer Provincial Series (1600m) on Occupy at Gosford in late December.
Lees has won nine heats of the Provincial Championships since the series was introduced in 2015 and has twice won the final (with Danish Twist in 2016 and Serene Miss in 2018).
