The former trainer of Group One winner Lucia Valentina thinks he could be onto a new Kiwi gem in three-year-old Sofia Rosa.

Sofia Rose comes from New Zealand to run in the Tea Rose Stakes (1400m) at Randwick with a promising record, having placed in both of her starts.

Stephen Marsh gave Lucia Valentina her start in New Zealand and said Sofia Rosa had serious potential.

"She has a good, sustained finish and a great turn of foot after she winds up," Marsh said.

"She's not quite mentally ready yet though, just a little fragile.

"She'll be a better horse in the autumn."

Marsh said patience was required as the young horse made her way in the racing world and he wouldn't run many more times this spring.

"I think she'll have a really good race, it's just whether she'll step up to the quality of fillies she's going to meet on Saturday," he said.

"We're just trying her out. If she comes through for a top three or four, we'd try her out in the Flight Stakes.

"Then she'll go home to the paddock."

Marsh also said a small laceration on Sofia Rosa's off-hind cannon was "the size of a five cent piece" and would not affect her performance.

Sofia Rose is one of the outsiders at $14.