The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 6 plus 9 letter word RACING CERTAINTY
I've seen this crossword clue in Financial Times
R
A
C
I
N
G
C
E
R
T
A
I
N
T
Y
More clues leading to the result RACING CERTAINTY
- Tracy and I creating new production; one of us is a shoo- in
- Going fast, time in specific year? It’s inevitable
- Sure-fire winner? Cite Cary Grant in broadcast
- Incite Cary Grant to change characters? Sure thing
- Any tic-tac erring when failing … to indicate this?
- Going fast, time in specific year? It's inevitable
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Sure-fire winner" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case sure-fire winner = racing certainty.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.