The British Horseracing Authority said on Sunday that it had been subjected to an “unfounded smear” after the trainer Ralph Beckett said that he suspected the authority had been responsible for the leak of an email in which Beckett called for the resignation of Nick Rust, the BHA’s chief executive. Emails from Beckett and his fellow trainer Mark Johnston to Annamarie Phelps, the BHA’s chair, which included a demand that Rust should “step aside”, were published in the Sunday Telegraph last weekend. Phelps subsequently replied that Rust had the “full and unequivocal support” of the BHA’s board in his attempts to steer racing towards a resumption following the current lockdown. Speaking on the Luck On Sunday programme on Racing TV, Beckett renewed his attack on Rust, accusing him of “virtue signalling” in comments attached to a recent press release that suggested that racing should not resume “until the pressure on the NHS allows for a resumption and we can assure the safety of those taking part”. Asked where he believed the leak had come from, Beckett said, “If I was to bet on it, I would bet that it came out of the BHA,” adding “there’s one specific reason for that, and that is because they [the Telegraph] don’t have all the emails. They only have three of the emails and Annamarie’s response from her BHA email account. So that’s my opinion and I’ve got nothing to back that up with other than what I’ve just told you.” In response to Beckett’s allegation, a BHA spokesperson said: “The week ahead will see the government unveil the next phase of its response to Covid-19, so our focus right now is returning safely to racing and ensuring everyone can have confidence in our plans. “It doesn’t help when the governing body is subjected to unfounded smears, but we won’t be distracted from the purpose we share with all in our industry, to get back racing safely as soon as it’s appropriate.” Rust, who said in January that he would step down from his role at the end of the year, when a successor had been appointed, has been in charge of a team planning for a resumption of racing since lockdown restrictions forced the current suspension in mid-March. Plans are understood to be in place to race initially at a limited number of tracks where strict quarantine conditions can be guaranteed. The BHA has also published details of which major races will be rescheduled if racing can resume this month, including new dates for the first four Classics in early June and early July.