Crossword Genius

Holes at the side of the track? (4)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

pits

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

'holes' is the definition.
(pit is a kind of hole)

'the side of the track?' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite see how this works, but
'the' could be 't' (the is pronounced as a 't' sound in some dialects) and 't' is found in the answer.
The remaining letters 'pis' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't see.
This may be the basis of the clue (or it may be nonsense).

'at' is the link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for pits that I've seen before include "Deep holes in the ground" , "Mines" .)

I've seen this clue in the Evening Standard.
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