Crossword Genius

Travesty of race had to be sorted out (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

charade

'travesty' is the definition.
(synonyms)

'race had to be sorted out' is the wordplay.
'to be sorted out' indicates anagramming the letters.
'race'+'had'='racehad'
'racehad' with letters rearranged gives 'CHARADE'.

'of' acts as a link.

(Other definitions for charade that I've seen before include "Total pretence (as in game)" , "Ludicrous pretence" , "sham" , "Ridiculous pretence" , "Word-guessing riddle" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.
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