Race Comment Explainer

Original comment with matches highlighted:

mid-division, e the last in modest 5th before the last, 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.
Mid-division	Running in the middle of the pack.
Plugged on	Kept going without showing much pace.

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.
Running in the middle of the pack.
Kept going without showing much pace.