Cryptic crossword clue
Championship ponies bag a winning score 5

The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 5 letter word IPPON

I've seen this crossword clue in Financial Times
I
P
P
O
N

Buddy explains!

The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.
This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.

What does IPPON mean?

IPPON noun
  1. The highest score in judo, awarded for a throw that places the opponent on their back with impetus or for holding the opponent on their back for a number of seconds.

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