HAVING only arrived in Ireland on a six-month working holiday in March, I was thrilled to ride my first winner in this country last weekend.

On just my third racecourse appearance here, I won a handicap hurdle at Punchestown on Whatucallher. That win was also significant for another reason, as it was the first time a horse had won in Ireland under joint licence holders.

My employers Eddie and Patrick Harty were enjoying out their first success together, so I was proud to share in that historic achievement.

Racing is in my blood, so from as young as I can remember I always wanted to be a jockey. My grandfather, Christian Mahe, was twice champion jockey before going on to become a trainer.

My father, Jean-Noel Terrassin, rode over a 100 winners but had retired by the time I was born. He now works for leading trainer Jean Claude Rouget in Pau.

Not to be outdone, my mother, Laurence Mahe Terrassin, rode as an amateur and remains involved as a racehorse owner.

Although we didn’t have horses at home, I would accompany my father to the stables in the evenings.

Having learned how to ride at pony club, by the age of 14, I was riding out alongside my father. After completing my third level education, I enrolled in AFASEC in Gouvieux - basically the French equivalent of RACE.

From the outset, I knew that I wanted to concentrate on jumps racing so veered in that direction. I joined the jumping yard of Mr. Cherel and later, Mr. Chotard.

Favourite

It has always been my favourite discipline; perhaps because all my family have competed in National Hunt racing. Once you add in the fact that physically, I was never going to become a flat jockey, then there was never really a choice to be made.

I had my first ride on the racecourse at Auteuil on May 22nd, 2014 for Mr. Chotard. Although I wasn’t one of the top jockeys in France, I rode 15 winners over jumps and one on the flat.

Early on in my career, I made the decision to work for a number of different trainers as I wanted to gain a wider knowledge of how each went about their work.

In that respect, I was fortunate enough to work for two excellent mentors namely Guillaume Macaire and Dominique Bressou. Most of my rides were in the south west and north west, although I got the chance to go up to Paris a few times.

My most pleasing winner was actually my very first, not just for obvious reasons but also as it was owned by my mother.

Without a retained stable, I decided to go abroad this summer in order to live new experiences, meet new people and discover new ways of working.

Having contacted an agency (Galop Consulting Recruitment), I was put in contact with Patrick and Eddie Harty in Co Kildare. The family were very kind to me as I did not speak much English and had some issues when I first arrived in Ireland.

Grateful

Patrick is always available when I need help or advice and I am very grateful to both himself and his father. They have allowed me to live my dream and I thank them for that opportunity.

I had my first ride on Whatucallher in Wexford earlier this month. The race itself went very well, as she is an easy horse to ride. Races in Ireland are much more rhythmic then in France and horses start racing much earlier than at home.

Irish racecourses are also more hilly so there is more to gallop. Just being able to race-ride in Ireland was already a dream come through, so to win on Whatucallher at Punchestown last Sunday was unimaginable. It was a memorable occasion, not just for me but Eddie and Patrick as well.

When I came over to Ireland with my girlfriend, it was agreed that we would only stay six months. We know that we are returning to France in September but as of yet, we do not have a precise date.

My girlfriend has a stud farm in Normandy so has to go home to resume control of that business. In addition, the National Hunt racing really gets back going in France from September, so I hope to get back race-riding at home.

However, since the start of my experiences in Ireland and thanks to the kindness of my bosses and the Irish people, I plan to come back next March.

Last weekend’s win at Punchestown only helped to reinforce that decision.

Nicolas Terrassin was in conversation with John O’Riordan