Peter Snowden intends to back up Purple in the Group Two Sandown Classic at Sandown next Saturday following her hard-fought victory in the Group Two Matriarch Stakes at Flemington.

Snowden has a big opinion of the four-year-old mare who won twice at Group One level last season when she won the Storm Queen Stakes (2000m) at Rosehill on a heavy track and the Queensland Oaks (2400m) at Eagle Farm on slow going.

"I'm going to have a crack at this race next week at Sandown and it looks like it will be a good race too, but if she performs well in that too I'll bring her back here next spring," Snowden said.

"She'll have a very light autumn and I'll set her for a race down here (in Melbourne in the spring).

"She's getting better all the time."

Snowden was also pleased with the Sheikh Mohammed-owned mare's versatility at being able to perform on firm ground on Saturday as her past five wins were all on wet tracks.

Under topweight of 57.5kg, Purple ($4.20 fav), ridden by Kerrin McEvoy, scored in a desperate finish by a short half-head from Moment In Time ($7.50) with Lady Lynette ($4.40) a nose away third.

Silvercitymiss ($15) was only a long neck away fourth after leading well into the straight.

"I thought right on the line we'd got there," Snowden said.

"I was very confident going into the race but from the 600 metres onwards I thought she would have tracked into the race a little bit better than what she did.

"She had a horse on each side of her and wasn't getting much room and I thought she's going to have to be pretty tough to stick this out.

"The last 80 metres she kicked again and she was strong at the finish.

"She's a two-time Group One winner, she's a quality mare and she's still improving and I'm hoping this time next year we can go a little bit higher with her."