Race Comment Explainer

Original comment with matches highlighted:

midfield, smooth headway to lead before last where mistake, stayed on run-in,

Matched phrases & meanings

Phrase	Meaning
Stayed on	Continued to finish but without closing the gap significantly.
Headway	The horse was moving up through the field.
readily	The horse won easily, without having to be pushed to its absolute limit, suggesting it had more to give.

Summary

Continued to finish but without closing the gap significantly.
The horse was moving up through the field.
The horse won easily, without having to be pushed to its absolute limit, suggesting it had more to give.