Race Comment Explainer

Original comment with matches highlighted:

held up in last pair, stayed on inside final , never going pace to get involved

Matched phrases & meanings

Phrase	Meaning
never going pace to get involved	The definitive statement that the horse's speed/turn of foot was insufficient, or it was positioned too far back, to catch the front-runners and seriously challenge for a winning position.
Stayed on	Continued to finish but without closing the gap significantly.
Held up	Intentionally raced patiently at the back to save energy.
Furlong	Unit of distance; one furlong is 1/8 of a mile (approx. 200 meters).

Summary

The definitive statement that the horse's speed/turn of foot was insufficient, or it was positioned too far back, to catch the front-runners and seriously challenge for a winning position.
Continued to finish but without closing the gap significantly.
Intentionally raced patiently at the back to save energy.
Unit of distance; one furlong is 1/8 of a mile (approx. 200 meters).