Review Madrid – 2 October 2025
3 de October de 2025
Las Ventas, being a true seasonal bullring, organises its calendar in well-defined cycles. In September, it is the bull that takes command. Breeding contests and ganaderías representing less common bloodlines – though much loved by the regulars of this plaza – come to the fore. A perfect chance to discover them first-hand.
When September arrives at Las Ventas, it is the BULL, in capital letters, that takes centre stage. Of course, the bull is the heart of the spectacle all year long, but in this penultimate month of the season the spotlight falls on less commercial bloodlines – not often seen elsewhere – yet highly respected among Madrid’s aficionados.
Plaza1, the managing company, has designed a programme in which these ganaderías, whose bulls rarely find an easy place on the market, become the protagonists of Sunday afternoons. With the traditional day and time now restored (Sundays at 6 p.m.), Las Ventas transforms into something akin to a theme park of fighting bull breeding, offering fans the chance to see bloodlines rarely encountered in the ring.
The schedule also includes a novillada contest and a corrida concurso, so that those attending Madrid’s cathedral of bullfighting in September can witness bravery in competition – especially during the tercio de varas – from six different ganaderías. Uniquely, the novillada features six young bulls bred entirely within the Community of Madrid, while the corrida concurso that closes the cycle brings together some of the most emblematic herds of the Spanish campo bravo, with a special nod to the Portuguese wild cattle tradition.
Thus, in Madrid this September one can see animals of diverse origins: the Vega–Villar bulls of Monteviejo, the Albaserradas of José Escolar, the Santa Colomas of Rehuelga, or the famously striking “handsome bulls” of Partido de Resina, formerly Pablo Romero.
The corridas concurso will present an equally eclectic mix, with bulls from Quintas, who maintain the old Martínez lineage, the historic Concha y Sierra preserving the Vazqueña caste, alongside the legendary Portuguese herds of Palha and Murteira Grave.
The line-ups of matadors and novilleros are composed of young toreros with projection, talent and proven courage in facing herds of these demanding bloodlines.
Fixtures:
Sunday 7 September, 6 p.m.
Novillos from Toros de Brazuelas, Hermanos Sánchez León, Los Eulogios, Quintas, Jiménez Pasquau and La Machamona for Jesús Ángel Olivas, Aitor Fernández (debut) and Villita.
Sunday 14 September, 6 p.m.
Ganaderías challenge with bulls from José Escolar and Rehuelga for Damián Castaño, Juan de Castilla and Miguel Andrades (confirmation).
Sunday 21 September, 6 p.m.
Ganaderías challenge with bulls from Partido de Resina and Monteviejo for Serafín Marín, Juan Pablo Sánchez and Luis Gerpe.
Sunday 28 September, 6 p.m.
Corrida concurso (breeders’ contest) with bulls from Concha y Sierra, Palha, Partido de Resina, Murteira Grave, José Escolar and Rehuelga for Rubén Sanz (confirmation), Javier Herrero and Gómez del Pilar.
Bullfighting journalist
