During the time that I have been writing for this outlet on your screen, most of the correspondence to reach me had concerned the novel I wrote about a man who goes to the race track one day like any other and then finds that he simply can't lose.

As new readers and race fans join this web site right along, and with the film of the novel just released on a video disc, it's probably a good idea to back once in a while and update the story of winning made easy.

It's amazing how few horse racing movies have been produced.

There are some nice ones like Phar Lap, which is a story based on fact. Phar Lap was a horse that was so good, unfair amounts of weight were added to its back in order to make a competitive race.

And it seems like there were a couple of Walther Matthau horse racing pictures. But as I recall with those, fair play triumphed over all odds from an owner's perspective.

There have been some great scenes hooked to horse race tracks. A past-posting scam was at the heart of "The Sting." And "The Grifters" had race track money as its bait.

The name of my novel, seen through the eye of a horse gambler, was "Good Vibes."

The way a novel like this gets made into a movie is it's published and four years later a producer who likes to gamble reads it and you're off to the races.

The producer who liked to gamble was, and still is, named Ned Dowd.

His minor league hockey career was the basis for the great sports film, "Slap Shot."

The movie based on my novel was called "Let It Ride."

The production team for this film included a writer who barely knew which end of a horse went around a track first, and a director who had previously done soft drink commercials on television.

Richard Dreyfuss was the horse player who couldn't lose.

Buster Poindexter was his pal.

I went to Miami just before filming began and have these "inside" show business stories for you.

First of all, I'm not sure if Jennifer Tilly is acting all that much on some of her big-screen roles.

Next, to get in the mood for a gambling flick, everybody went to a dog track the night before cameras rolled on "Let It Ride."

Needless to say, we got a real good table.

Before some of the dog races, an older woman with Miami hair - big, silver and frozen in place - came to our table and whispered into Richard Dreyfuss' ear. He would then go to the windows and bet and make money.

I tried to see what he wrote on his program after the older woman whispered into an ear, but was unable to do so.

Buster Poindexter had one martini and began singing.

I lost $300.

My advice on Miami gambling is as follows: At the dogs, buy no materials and simply bet the 1 every race. At jai alai, bet the fattest guys at doubles.

Usually the writer of a novel can excuse himself from a movie's flaws and blame any problem on the changes some dopey Hollywood type made.

But "Let It Ride" is just right.

It is the novel.

If you don't like the movie, forget the book.

A reasonable definition of a piece of fiction is: This is something that could happen but probably won't.

"Let It Ride" is frequently used as a motivational piece by horse players getting ready for some serious track action.

The chief question people have about it is: Did it really happen?

Was the movie based on fact?

Can somebody get so hot at the track that anything wins?

It's as though the story needs a foundation in truth to be useful at the betting windows.

This e-mail came last week: Please let "Let It Ride" be true.

The answer is, it was based on fact.

One afternoon in the rain at Will Rogers Downs, which is a track down the road from where the great humorist was born in Claremore, Okla., I had one whole-pool Trifecta, and half of the Trifecta pool on the following race.

Evidently you can name most anything after a dead man.

"Let It Ride" was based on this feeling of invincibility.

Left out of the film was how I got so excited that I bought a round for everybody sitting in the restaurant.

Too embarrassing.