Let It Ride

Let It Ride is a 1989 American comedy film. It was directed by Joe Pytka (in his feature non-documentary debut) from a screenplay by Nancy Dowd (credited as Ernest Morton) based on the 1979 novel Good Vibes by Jay Cronley. It stars Richard Dreyfuss, David Johansen, Teri Garr, and Allen Garfield. The story is centered on a normally unsuccessful habitual gambler who experiences a day in which he wins every bet he places, and focuses on the personality contrasts and the perpetually upbeat, hopeful attitudes of losers. Let It Ride was primarily filmed at Hialeah Park Race Track, which was closed in 2001 and reopened on November 28, 2009. The film was released in the United States on August 18, 1989, by Paramount Pictures. Plot Jay Trotter and his best friend Looney are cab drivers. Looney records his passengers' private conversations with a hidden microphone. Looney has a new tape of two men talking about an upcoming horse race and how one of the race horses, due to unethical practice by its owner and trainer, ("they were holding the horse back") is a sure thing to win big. Trotter and Looney go to the track to place a $50.00 win bet on the horse, despite the fact that Trotter told his wife Pam the day before that he would quit betting forever and stay home to "start their marriage over" at noon. In the restroom of the bar next door to the racetrack, he prays to God, saying, "just one big day, that's all I'm asking for, one day, I'm due." A man exiting the bathrooms overhears him, and says "Yeah? So's Jesus. Let it ride." Trotter promptly places a $50 bet on the tipped horse. Looney refuses to bet the tip, instead betting on a horse named "June Bug" - the same name as a cat Looney once owned. Trotter's horse wins the race in a photo finish and pays $28.40 to win (earning Trotter $710). Armed with a newfound sense of confidence, after cashing his winning bet, Trotter approaches the two men from Looney's cab ride and generously gives them the tape of their taxi conversation. Out of gratitude, they give Trotter a good tip for the next race. He places a large bet and wins again.