Tributes have flooded in from across the racing world today following the death of jockey Tom O’Brien at the age of 39 after a battle with cancer.The Irishman retired from the saddle back in April 2023 and enjoyed an incredible career over two decades, where he rode over 1000 winners across Britain and Ireland.O’Brien relished victory after riding Third Wind to victory at the 2022 Cheltenham FestivalGETTYO’Brien was also a two-time Cheltenham Festival winner, on board Silk Affair in the 2009 Fred Winter and on mount Third Wind in the 2022 Pertemps Final.He recorded five Grade One victories throughout his career too, most notably on board Thyme Hill in the 2021 Liverpool Hurdle and 2022 Kauto Star Novices’ Chase.Alongside his fantastic career, he has also been remembered prominently for the kind of man he was by those who knew him.The heartbreaking news has spread across the racing world and the tributes have truly captured his legacy and impact.Former champion jockey Richard Johnson, who rode with O’Brien for many years at Philip Hobbs’ Minehead yard, described his former colleague as an ‘all-round great person.Johnson told the Press Association: “It’s such sad news and I’m not sure there are any words to describe it really.“Tom had been ill for quite a while now, but again it doesn’t feel real and I feel very sorry for Hayley and his two little boys.“Tom was an all-round great person and you won’t find anyone with a bad word to say about him.“He left a positive mark on all of us. I spent a long time riding with him at Philip Hobbs’ yard and we never had a cross word, and I think that would apply to anyone you speak to as he was just an all-round good man.”O’Brien joined Hobbs as a teenager after moving from Ireland and remained there until his retirement, eventually taking over as stable jockey following Johnson’s retirement in 2021.Hobbs said: “He came to our yard from Ireland having not ridden in a race, but it soon became obvious he was pretty talented and he was with us from the start of his career until the end.“He was in the shadow of Richard Johnson for a long time being second jockey and then became first jockey after Richard retired, which went well.“His biggest win was Thyme Hill in the Grade One at Aintree and he was always very reliable and a very good bloke.“There’s lots of good memories and there were lots of winners.”Jockey Tom O’Brien rode Thyme Hill on his last ever ride before retirement at Sandown ParkGETTYThe British Horseracing Authority posted a heartfelt tribute to O’Brien, who joined the stewarding team after retiring from race riding.Chief executive Brant Dunshea said: “Everyone at the BHA and across British and Irish racing is mourning the devastating loss of our friend and colleague Tom O’Brien.“Tom passed away surrounded by his loved ones following a long and courageous battle with cancer, which he faced with the steely determination and drive that typified the man so many of us knew.”The talkSPORT family have also paid tribute.View Tweet: https://x.com/alex_crook/status/2120434432007967109?ref_src=twsrc%5EtfwView Tweet: https://t.co/s8JOg7Tv3KFellow jockey Lizzie Kelly also paid her respects on Racing Live on talkSPORT2.She said: “It’s really hard to get your head around the journey that Tom went on.“He retired only three years at the age of 36 after a hugely successful career and his two little boys and wife Hayley probably relieved that he finished race riding and could do something less dangerous with his time only to find out that he had cancer, and it was going to be a really tough battle and he sought out many treatments both here and in America.She added: “He was a lovely man, he was a really tough competitor, he was a friend to many in the weighing room, past and present.“I remember him as ultimately being kind and generous. He didn’t shout when you got things wrong. But he’d quietly say something.“He had a smile that would light up a room, like he had a smile that just made you laugh when you saw him and twinkling in his eye and we had a lot of fun shooting the breeze in the weighing room between races and he was someone I always liked riding against as well.“He was just a wonderful guy and despite the fact that we all knew that Tom’s health had been declining it’s been really difficult to comprehend how this has happened so quickly.”