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Being calm, sneer wryly as the race finishes (6)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

serene

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'being calm' is the definition.
('serene' can be a synonym of 'calm')

'sneer wryly as the race finishes' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite see how this works, but
an anagram of 'sneer' is 'seren' which is located in the answer.
A single letter 'e' remains which might be clued in a way I don't understand.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for serene that I've seen before include "Calm and at peace" , "Calm and unruffled, like a princely title." , "Fair" , "Not agitated" , "still" .)

I've seen this clue in the Evening Standard.
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