Joe Murphy, Bill Dwan, Richard Brown and Michael Donohoe have led the tributes to racing's “problem solver” John Fleming, 60s, who died after being struck by a bus at Dublin Airport on Thursday morning.Fleming enjoyed huge success as an owner, notably with trainers Michael O'Callaghan and Joe Murphy. His biggest day came last summer when Cercene, who he part-owned, won the Group 1 Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot. He was also a keen trader of bloodstock, and was involved in numerous mares, foals and yearlings with Dwan [Castlebridge Consignment]. But it was through his role as an accountant that he touched the lives of so many within the bloodstock industry. Fleming owned an accountancy firm in County Kilkenny and his expertise was utilised by practitioners big and small. He was said to have devoted his time just as freely to the likes of Wathnan Racing, for whom he played a key role, and smaller traders just the same. Blandford Bloodstock agent Richard Brown commented, “He has helped us not only with our accounts at Blandford for over 15 years, but became a friend, advisor and a confidant. When Wathan Racing started, we needed somebody, and I recommended to Olly Tait that John was the man. He did all of the Wathnan stuff and was an extremely important part of our team so my professional and personal life was filled with John Fleming. I can't compute what has happened – I'm still in shock. You just don't realise how important somebody is in your life until they are gone. That is the realisation today and I am sure there will be so many others out there thinking the very same about John today. He was utterly unique.”John Fleming | TattersallsBrown added, “He just wanted to help people. There was nobody like him – to have his knowledge of horses, trading, people, the entire business and then be a phenomenal accountant, he was just completely unique. But away from that, he was just a great guy. Nobody relishes accountancy meetings – I mean, I was meant to have a Zoom call with him at 10am today – but you looked forward to those chats with John. How can you make accountancy fun? John found a way! He was a great friend and, even in the early days of Blandford, John helped us through tough times. It went far beyond accountancy advice. He got me through some tough times and I will never forget it. He was one of the key people in my life and this is going to leave a gaping hole.”Murphy, who trained Cercene among others on behalf of the Kilkenny man said that “you couldn't get better” than Fleming and revealed how he was cherishing the memories shared with his owner and friend at Royal Ascot last year.He said, “It's a massive loss for everyone in the industry, but, more importantly, my heart goes out to his family. He was the small man's representative. The greatest quality he had was that he devoted so much time to helping people. It didn't matter if they were big or small. Where would you get a man with those qualities? He loved the game, loved the people in it and was just a brilliant character. We never had a row. Never. You couldn't get better than John Fleming. He took bad news the same as he took good news and he always had your back. Your feelings always came before his. It makes you cherish those memories and you'd even wonder if Royal Ascot was meant to be, purely for John? There's a long list of people who are completely devastated today.”Bill Dwan on John Fleming, “I spoke with somebody yesterday and they summed it up brilliantly when they said that he was racing's problem solver.”Dwan echoed those heartfelt tributes and, holding back the tears on Friday morning, said, “A very sad day. We're all in shock. He was a joy to be around. I shared a lot of horses with him – mares, yearlings, racehorses, everything – and when things went well, we had a great laugh and plenty of celebrations. But when things didn't go well, he was a gentleman and took it on the chin. He helped so many people. I have had a huge amount of phone calls since the news broke and it just shows the opinion in which the man was held. I don't think anybody had a bad word to say about that man. I spoke with somebody yesterday and they summed it up brilliantly when they said that he was racing's problem solver. He solved problems for people and it wasn't just the big guns or the people who are perceived highly. It was the small guys – he went out of his way to help the smaller fellas starting off. He had time for everybody and just wanted to help.”Dwan added, “We used to go to Ascot every year and you just had a laugh. Everything was fun and, if we had a runner, if the horse ran good or bad, he'd see the positive in everything. He'd see the good side in the trainer, the jockey, the consignor or whoever it was. He just saw the good side in everybody. He had a mischievous, little glint in his eyes at times and he just enjoyed life. One of the good guys.”Michael Donohoe on Fleming: “He was extremely discreet and unbelievably well respected within the industry.” | TattersallsBBA Ireland bloodstock agent Mick Donohoe knew Fleming, or as he was nicknamed, 'Harvey', better than most being a fellow Kilkenny man. Like Brown, he said Fleming's influence on his life extended far beyond accountancy advice.He said, “Even Beyond racing, Harvey was just a brilliant help to so many people. It's well known at this stage that I went through a tough time a couple of years ago and, really, Harvey had my back and supported me through it. He wouldn't say a whole lot but what he did say made sense. When we think about him, he did live life to the fullest. He's an example to all of us. He was an extremely positive person and that's what he instilled in me and all of the people that he touched.”Donohoe added, “I met a few of his friends from Kilkenny, non of them who are involved in racing, last night [Thursday] for a drink. The stories that they were coming out with were unreal. He lived in a flat in London with four Kilkenny lads in his early 20s and he was the Mammy and the Daddy of the house. He did their washing and he even cooked for them – now, I'm not sure he was much of a chef, but he kept them fed! He was just amazing and was a mentor to so many. Along with Michael O'Callaghan, Harvey was a particularly strong supporter of the breeze-up sector. He was feerless at times in the ring. But what was really amazing about Harvey was that he had so many clients but he would never, ever disclose anything to anyone. He was extremely discreet and unbelievably well respected within the industry. It shouldn't go unnoticed that he honed in on and supported the lads that needed to be supported as well. He didn't just have his horses with the fellas who were flying. It's amazing how many people he was supporting and backing. Unbeliveable.”More to followThe post Racing In Mourning Over Tragic Death Of “Utterly Unique” John Fleming appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.