Race Comment Explainer

Original comment with matches highlighted:

in rear, untidy 1st, headway behind leaders approaching last, stayed on strongly flat, never nearer

Matched phrases & meanings

Phrase	Meaning
Never nearer	The horse's closest point to the leader was the position it finished in (ran on late).
Stayed on	Continued to finish but without closing the gap significantly.
Headway	The horse was moving up through the field.
Rear	Running near the back of the field.

Summary

The horse's closest point to the leader was the position it finished in (ran on late).
Continued to finish but without closing the gap significantly.
The horse was moving up through the field.
Running near the back of the field.