The winner's apparently inferior to the runner-up (6-4)
I believe the answer is:
second-best
'the runner-up' is the definition.
(synonyms)
'the winner's apparently inferior' is the wordplay.
I cannot really understand how this works, but
'the' could be 't' (the is pronounced as a 't' sound in some dialects) and 't' is located in the answer.
'inferior' could be 'second' (inferior can mean secondary or less important) and 'second' is found in the answer.
The remaining letters 'bes' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't understand.
This may be the basis of the clue (or it may be nonsense).
'to' acts as a link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for second-best that I've seen before include "Inferior" , "not quite the ideal?" , "Less adequate alternative" .)