Also-rans (6)
I believe the answer is:
losers
'also-rans' is the definition.
('loser' can be a synonym of 'also-ran')
This is all the clue.
(Other definitions for losers that I've seen before include "Odd sorels don't win" , "They're defeated" , "They're unsuccessful" , "Odd sorels never win" , "Also-rans" .)