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Hello everyone. I’m missing one answer, and there a few I don’t understand:

54a: Ode in praise of pre-race favourite recited? Exactly (2,1,4)

I have T - / A / - A - R. I do t think any of those letters are wrong.

The others are:

15a: Nearly all go up quietly to get trophy (5) SCALP?

36a: Little matters when trained army falls short of ammunition initially (5,3) SMALL FRY?

22d: Turned to large bottles originally holding sauce (8) BECHAMEL?

47d: City no longer on the up, I would add a car crash? (6) SPARTA?

Please can anyone explain the parsing?

54 must be TO A (as an ode would start), but I can't find anything to fit your other letters.

15 SCAL(e) P
36 anagram ARMY FALLS without an A

The first one must be TO A HAIR. Unusual phrase meaning exactly. Homophone, and the hare was a pre-race favourite against the tortoise

22d Turned to, BECAME + L (large) around H (initial of holding)

47d PS (I would add, upwards) + A RTA (road traffic accident). Sparta a city no longer

Thank you. I would never have guessed those.