Who was Ignacio Sánchez Mejías?
15 de January de 2026
The In Memoriam bullfight, held every June at Las Ventas once the San Isidro Festival has ended, has become one of the most traditional events
Five out of the nine novilleros hired for San Isidro will make their debut in the fair at Las Ventas. It is a new promotion of novices who aspire to consolidate their presence in the fairs once the previous generation has already taken the alternativa and moved on to join the ranks of bullfighters.
Three of the five will debut in Madrid on the same day, Tuesday, May 14th, in the first novillada of the series. They are Diego Bastos, Nek Romero, and Samuel Navalón. Diego Bastos is from Seville, he possesses a refined concept and even as a novillero without horses, he drew attention in various contests for his handling of the capes. He is associated with the Seville school for its aesthetic aspect and comes to Madrid with the intention of demonstrating that style of interpretation to the authorities.
Samuel Navalón has just triumphed greatly in Valdemorillo. He debuted with mounted horses at the end of last season after sweeping as a novillero without picadores in almost all the contests he participated in. A Valencian trained in the Albacete school, he is defined by a tempered bullfighting, of pleasant expression, and great ability to solve and channel all kinds of charges.
Closing the trio is Nek Romero, another Valencian, trained in the Valencia School, who has gained experience in his province. He is an alert and resolute novillero, who also handles swords skillfully.
A week later, on Tuesday, May 21st, Roberto Martín Jarocho will make his debut in Madrid. A torero from a dynasty, trained first in the Salamanca School and then in the Madrid School, he has attitude, ambition, and courage in front of animals, qualities that he combines with a very Castilian concept, typical of the centers where he has trained.
And he does it accompanied by Alejandro Perañanda and Ismael Martín.
Peñaranda, born in Albacete, young novillero who has already managed to make his mark in the bullfighting world. He debuted as a novillero without horses in 2018 and is considered a dream alternative. His future promises exciting moments as he follows in the footsteps of his grandfather Eduardo Peñaranda, who also left his mark in the history of bullfighting.
The lineup of debuts concludes with Pepe Luis Cirugeda on Tuesday, May 28th, in the last novillada of the series. A native of Los Barrios, Cádiz, who took his first steps under the guidance of the Navas del Rey School, he won the Camino Hacia Las Ventas contest in 2022 and with that endorsement, he returns to the Madrid arena as a novillero with picadores. Bullfighters like Alejandro Peñaranda (winner of the Las Ventas nocturnal cycle last summer), Ismael Martín (winner of the Foundation’s novillada circuit in Castilla León), Alejandro Chicharro, who did the same in the circuit of the Community of Madrid, and the Frenchman Lalo de María, son of the other rejoneadora and current businesswoman María Sara, complete the lineup of novilleros for this San Isidro.
The Montealto, Fuente Ymbro, and Guadaira bull breeds, all of them from the Domecq lineage, offer the highest guarantees for the youngsters to express themselves. The new blood arrives at Las Ventas with the intention of being part of the generational change that occurs in all arts and orders of life. Also in bullfighting. Be a witness to the change.
The In Memoriam bullfight, held every June at Las Ventas once the San Isidro Festival has ended, has become one of the most traditional events
Emiliano Osornio’s return to Madrid provided the standout moments of the Autumn Fair’s opening day. With the fifth novillo, he produced passages full of depth and composure, in a contest marked by the limited play of the livestock.
The 2025 Madrid Autumn Fair is the perfect showcase to take the pulse of bullfighting — especially of what lies ahead in the coming years. If the passion and imagination that the company has shown in crafting these original line-ups is matched in the ring, the fair could prove historic. Personally, I wouldn’t miss it.
