Top 20 Rules

Top 20 Competition Event Rules

Purpose:
The top twenty event has been initiated to encourage the exhibition of Salukis in the breed competition. Each event will be a part of the SCOA National Specialty and will serve a variety of purposes in educating judges, exhibitors, breeders and fanciers and will offer all an opportunity to view the “cream of the crop” competing together in one ring. The competition will also promote discussions of the standard which encourages the exchange of ideas and will provide a showcase for those Salukis with the most outstanding records in breed competition.

Eligibility:
  • The top twenty standings are based on breed show results January thru December from the year preceding the National Specialty as published on the AKC official website. Dogs winning Best of Breed will be awarded 1 point for each dog defeated in breed competition only. The final numbers are generated VIA the AKC top dog report. Once the final statistics have been obtained from the AKC official website, the top twenty Salukis will be invited to participate at the event the following June at the SCOA National Specialty.
  • Excluded in the event in subsequent years will be any previous winners of the top twenty event. They may attend and be presented for exhibition. If the final top twenty standings include a previous winner or winners, the top twenty Salukis with the highest point totals that have not won any previous top twenty event are invited to participate. Previous winners will be noted in the standings. Dogs owned, co-owned and/or handled by the event chairperson are ineligible for competition. Dogs owned, co-owned, or handled by members of the Top 20 committee are eligible for competition.

Judges:
Three judges with no affiliation to any of the top twenty participants will be selected, one from each of the following categories:
  • Breeder-An established Saluki breeder who has been breeding for at least Ten years and who has produced at least five champions of record as published by the AKC Awards Gazette.
  • AKC, CKC, or  FCI Licensed Hound Group or AKC, CKC, or FCI Licensed Saluki Judge of at least Five years
  • Sighthound Specialist- Someone with a rich history in sighthounds.  Someone who has contributed to the world of sighthounds over the years and posses great knowledge of the breeds.  
                                                                                                                                 

Scoring:
  • Three judges will each judge every Saluki individually. Each judge receives an official score sheet based on the AKC Saluki Standard for the participating contenders. The judges will keep notes on each participant and then will evaluate the participating contenders. The scores for each dog from each of the three judges will be added together and divided by three to determine each dog’s average score.
  • In the event of a tie, the winner is determined by consulting the First Impression total. The dog with the highest First Impression total is declared the winner. The First Impression score is used ONLY to break a tie, and is not included in tabulating the average score. If there is still a tied score, there will be two (2) winners who shall share the title of Top 20 Winner.

Awards:
  • Voting ballots for the “People’s Choice” & Best Costume (both exhibitor & spectator) will be supplied to the events spectators. Ballots will be collected by the ushers and collated by the auditing committee. The “People’s Choice” and “Best Costume (both competitor and spectator) awards will be announced at the end of the top twenty event
  • The results of the judge’s selection for the SCOA Top Twenty reserve winner and winner will be announced at the end of the Top Twenty event.