A typical Saluki tops out around 27.5 mph in Fast CAT. The fastest one on record ran 34.79 mph. 4.8 mph faster than the typical dog (22.7 mph). The fastest Salukis outrun Usain Bolt's top speed by 7.0 mph.
Based on the best Fast CAT run of 423 Salukis, a typical Saluki tops out at 27.5 mph, and half of them run faster than 28.5 mph. That makes the Saluki the 5th fastest of the 226 breeds that have run Fast CAT.
97 of the 423 Salukis timed (23%) have broken 30 mph, and 2 have topped 35.
Among the most popular Hound breeds, the typical Saluki is faster than 5 of 8. The Greyhound is the quickest of the bunch at 32.9 mph, and the Borzoi (27.8 mph) runs closest to the Saluki. Over Fast CAT's 100 yards, the 5.4 mph gap to the Greyhound is about 1.21 seconds.
Azharaani Shachor Jafar Al-Amir holds the fastest consistent run by any Saluki: 34.79 mph at the German Shepherd Dog Club of Atlanta in Georgia on September 11, 2020. That's 100 yards in 5.88 seconds.
AKC's results also show Aspen's Zelda Zarina at 36.79 mph, but that dog's next-best run is 30.17 mph. A jump that big is usually a timing or typing error, so we flag it rather than crown it.
On Dash-Hound, the fastest Saluki is Alby, with a best of 26.84 mph over 35 logged runs.
Not really, but more are running. In 2017, 32 Salukis ran Fast CAT, typically at 27.7 mph. In 2025 it was 138 dogs at 27.3 mph.
California has the most Saluki runs, 387 of them, followed by Tennessee, Ohio, Missouri. The fastest Saluki run in California is 33.15 mph.
Salukis are sighthounds, built for exactly this: a straight sprint after a lure. Most catch on in a run or two. Any AKC-registered Saluki over 12 months old can enter, and the only real training is a reliable finish: have someone your dog will run to waiting past the line.
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Speeds from AKC Fast CAT results. Photographers: spotted your work? Tell us at [email protected] and we'll credit it or take it down.