Race Comment Explainer

Original comment with matches highlighted:

prominent, headway to lead over 1f out, soon ridden, kept on final , just held on

Matched phrases & meanings

Phrase	Meaning
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).
Kept on	The horse maintained its speed well to the finish.
Furlong	Unit of distance; one furlong is 1/8 of a mile (approx. 200 meters).
Headway	The horse was moving up through the field.

Summary

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 maintained its speed well to the finish.
Unit of distance; one furlong is 1/8 of a mile (approx. 200 meters).
The horse was moving up through the field.