Carry Back's first important victory came on his seventeenth run of the season. In the Cowdin Stakes on October 3, ridden by Bill Hartack, he turned into the straight in third before producing a strong late run to win going away by one and a half lengths from Globemaster. He disappointed in the Champagne Stakes after being left at the gate, leading to concerns that he was developing the same problems which ended his mother's career. After being given extra schooling, he was sent to Garden State Park for the $287,000 Garden State Futurity, at that time the most valuable race in America. Price paid a supplementary entry fee of $10,000 to run Carry Back in the race, which he described as "a lot of dough to me." Ridden by Johnny Sellers, Carry Back was fourteenth of the fifteen runners in the early stages but moved into contention on the outside approaching the straight. He took the lead at the sixteenth pole and drew clear to win by three and a half lengths from Ambiopoise. On his final appearance of the season, Carry Back won the Remsen Stakes at Aqueduct Racetrack on November 8, coming from well back in the field to catch Vapor Whirl in the closing stages and win by half a length.