Loved to play by city racetrack (9)
I believe the answer is:
velodrome
'racetrack' is the definition.
(racetrack for cycling)
'loved to play by city' is the wordplay.
'to play' indicates an anagram.
'by' means one lot of letters go next to another.
'city' becomes 'rome' (Rome is an example).
'loved' anagrammed gives 'velod'.
'velod'+'rome'='VELODROME'
(Other definitions for velodrome that I've seen before include "Banked oval track for cycle racing" , "Cycling arena" , "Cycle stadium" , "Stadium containing a cycle-racing track" .)