The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 5 letter word EPSOM
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
E
P
S
O
M
More clues leading to the result EPSOM
- Racecourse record with several failing to finish
- Poem’s written about racecourse
- Record thus maintained primarily in racecourse
- Racecourse succeeded amid rising misery
- Surrey town in memo spelt the wrong way
- Course records on order
- Brood raised outside south Surrey town
- RC visited during sleep, somnambulistically
- Seconds before games return to racecourse
- Surrey town records acknowledgement of merit
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "where races are run" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case where races are run = epsom.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.