Race Comment Explainer

Original comment with matches highlighted:

mid-division, t, led 3 out, ast, heade 2 out, led before last, headed flat, ,

Matched phrases & meanings

Phrase	Meaning
Mid-division	Running in the middle of the pack.
Challenged	Attempted to overtake another horse.
Stayed on	Continued to finish but without closing the gap significantly.
just held	The horse's powerful late run was not quite enough, and it lost the race by the narrowest possible margin (e.g., a nose or short head).
Headway	The horse was moving up through the field.

Summary

Running in the middle of the pack.
Attempted to overtake another horse.
Continued to finish but without closing the gap significantly.
The horse's powerful late run was not quite enough, and it lost the race by the narrowest possible margin (e.g., a nose or short head).
The horse was moving up through the field.