He was first apprenticed to Patrice Rago and then Yann Porzier, both jump trainers. He rode his first winner in 1985.

Things really took off in 1991 and with Group 1 winners aboard Subotica in the Grand Prix de Paris, Victoire Bleu in the Prix du Cadran and Tel Quel in the Champion Stakes at Newmarket.

With the departure of Asmussen from the Fabre stable in 1991, Thierry took over as stable jockey and therefore rider for Sheikh Mohammed in France. Together the Fabre/Jarnet/Mohammed combination were very powerful throughout the 1990's. Then in 1992, he gained his first key win by landing the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe on Subotica and he then repeated the feat on Carnegie in 1994.

Another venture to Newmarket saw him land the Dewhurst stakes on the great 2 year old, Pennekamp.

The 1995 2,000 Guineas was the stage for an epic encounter between the best 2 year olds of 1994.
From France there was Pennekamp and from England there was Celtic Swing.
However, Thierry stole the show with a great waiting ride on Pennekamp to pip Kevin Darley on the line.

The emergence of Olivier Peslier from 1993 meant Thierry has shared the rides at the Fabre stable--Thierry riding for Sheikh Mohammed and Peslier riding the Weildenstein horses.

However, in March 1998 he was thrown in the paddock at St.Cloud and was out of action until August'98 whereupon he won the Grand Prix de Deauville on Epistoltaire.

Picking up the pieces in 1999, he won the Grand Prix de Paris on Slickly for Fabre.

In 2000, he broke up with Fabre and rode as a freelance and also signed a contract to ride for the Marquesa de Moratalla.

As luck would have it, he came in for a spare Classic ride on Bluemamba in the French 1,000 Guineas after Sylvain Guillot had suffered an accident.
In the tightest of finishes off a very slow early pace, Thierry and Bluemamba just held on.

2000 signalled a return to Thierry's normal strike rate and he booted him 110 winners (his 8th century) to finish 2nd again to Olivier Peslier.

Thierry has ridden just over 1,627 winners to the end of 2003, with his mounts earning FRF 247 million prizemoney between 1991 and 2001.

Thierry was one of the first to employ a US style of riding in France having ridden in California in the winter of 1989.

Big Race Wins