On 28 May (Memorial Day), Carry Back contested the Metropolitan Mile for which the American Horse of the Year Kelso was made 3/5 favorite despite carrying 133 pounds. Ridden by Johnny Rotz (Ycaza had been suspended for his ride on Ridan in the Preakness), Carry Back took the lead well inside the final furlong and won by two and a half lengths from Merry Ruler with Kelso in sixth. The prize money of $72,735 enabled him to become the fourth millionaire thoroughbred in American racing history. Carry Back's winning time of 1:33.6 for the mile equaled the track record but Price admitted that Kelso, who was making his first appearance of the year, had not given his true running and was still the better horse. On July 4, Carry Back and Kelso met again in what was expected to be a virtual match race for the Suburban Handicap, but both were well beaten by the surprise winner Beau Purple. Ten days later, Carry Back, Kelso and Beau Purple all ran in the Monmouth Handicap. Carry Back showed his well-being as he "kicked and squirmed" in the paddock before the race and went on to produce his best performance of the year. Rotz produced Carry Back with a late challenge to take the lead halfway down the stretch and win by three lengths from Kelso in a track record time of 2:00.4 for the mile and a quarter. A week later, Carry Back started favorite for the Brooklyn Handicap but finished fourth to Beau Purple, to whom he was conceding ten pounds. With Rotz suspended, Carry Back was reunited with John Sellers in the Whitney Handicap at Saratoga in August. Carrying top weight of 130 pounds, Carry Back started odds-on favorite and won by two lengths from Crozier. By this time, Carry Back's winnings of $1,128,150 had taken him to third place in the all-time earners list, behind only Round Table and Nashua. On August 28 Carry Back easily defeated Beau Purple by eight lengths in the one mile Wilderness Handicap at Aqueduct, but ran a disappointing fourth to Crozier in the Aqueduct Stakes a week later.