[1] Trained by the outspoken and unconventional Jack Price, Carry Back's modest beginnings and come-from-behind racing style made him one of the most popular racehorses of his era.
[2] Carry Back, a dark brown horse, raced in the blue and silver colors of retired manufacturer Jack Price, who bred the colt at the Ocala Stud in Marion County, Florida.
In his first sixteen starts, Carry Back won two minor races, attracting some press attention when setting a track record for five furlongs at Gulfstream Park in April.
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.
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.
[12] Carry Back was sent to his home state of Florida in early 1961 and recorded his first important win of the year on his third start when he produced "one of his blazing finishes"[13] to beat Sherluck in the Everglades Stakes at Hialeah Park Race Track on February 15.
[15] Despite his defeat and a poor outside draw, Carry Back was favored to win the Kentucky Derby two weeks later, with his main opposition expected to come from Crozier, Globemaster, and the Alberta Ranches entry of Four-and-Twenty and Flutterby.
[16] In the Derby, Carry Back started predictably slowly and was towards the rear, sixteen lengths behind the leaders in the early stages as Globemaster led from Four-and-Twenty and Crozier.
[19] Two weeks after his Derby win, Carry Back, who was being described as "the most popular colt since Native Dancer"[20] contested the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course.
[21] A veterinarian for the New York Racing Association gave Carry Back a clean bill of health and said the injury report had been "a cruel hoax".
[31] After a short break, Carry Back moved north and recorded his first win of the year when taking the $10,000 Marriage Purse at Aqueduct by five lengths from Garwol.
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.
[33] 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.
[34] 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.
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.
Arriving in France in mid-September, Price had only three weeks to prepare Carry Back for the unfamiliar conditions including the turf surface and clockwise track.
[41] Arriving back in America, Price decided not to subject his colt to a run in the two-mile Jockey Club Gold Cup and waited for the Man o' War Stakes on turf later that month.
[44] In front of a 10,000 crowd, on what was reported to be his final public appearance, the colt galloped a mile around the track before being led into the winner's circle amid "thunderous applause".
"[47] On August 8 at Saratoga Race Course, Carry Back made his first appearance in a specially arranged training match against the 1963 Kentucky Derby winner Chateaugay.
The comeback appeared to have ended shortly afterwards when Carry Back sustained an injury (described as "a chip in the sesamoid bone of his left ankle") when warming up for the Washington Handicap at Arlington Park.
[49] On September 6, two weeks after his supposedly career-ending injury, Carry Back, ridden by Howard Grant, recorded his first comeback win as he took a turf race at Atlantic City by six lengths.
[51] The second transatlantic trip did not materialize: Carry Back returned "sore" after the Woodward and then ran very poorly when tenth in the Manhattan Handicap.
In 1983, preparations were under way for a joint birthday celebration for Carry Back and his fellow Florida-bred Needles, who were then the two oldest surviving Kentucky Derby winners.
[54] His ashes were originally interred at Ocala Racecourse but were later moved to the Kentucky Derby Museum at Churchill Downs in Louisville, home of his greatest victory.