2023 saw a number of promising novilleros take the alternativa - amongst them Víctor Hernández, Jorge Martínez, Fernando Plaza, Álvaro Alarcón, Christian Parejo, Diego García, Marcos Linares and the Frenchman Solalito - but the year also contained riches amongst the 140 youngsters donning a suit of lights to appear with picadors. Here are 11 to keep an eye on for the future:

In his fourth full season with picadors, the 23-year-old toledano Jorge Molina headed the year’s escalafón de novilleros, winning 23 ears and a tail from 26 novilladas. It’s possible, however, that 2023 may represent the peak of his taurine career - to his credit, he won the trophy for best faena, cutting two ears, at the demanding feria de novilladas of Villaseca de la Sagra and he also claimed an ear in Málaga, but he appeared four times in Las Ventas without success. His remaining best afternoons were at La Linea de la Concepción (where he won three ears and a tail) and in the minor plazas of Las Matas, Valdilecha and Torrijos.

*Alejandro Chicharro (image from Time.News)*

The madrileño Alejandro Chicharro - 19 years old until near the end of the temporada - debuted with picadors at Navas del Rey in April, winning three ears, and ended the temporada fourth in the escalafón with a better tally of trophies (45 ears and a tail from 22 appearances) than any of his fellow novilleros. Winner of the certamen el Circuito de Madrid, he performed most strongly at Miraflores de la Sierra, El Molar, Valdetorres del Jarama, Collado Villalba, Cantalpino, Collado Mediano, Villaseca de la Sagra (with ibanes), Guadalix de la Sierra, Los Molinos and twice at San Agustín de Guadalix.

*Sergio Rodríguez (image by el Ayuntamiento de Arganda del Rey)*

Sergio Rodríguez had a less successful season than in 2022, in part reflecting the category of plazas he appeared in this year, but nevertheless was adjudged the feria triunfador at Arganda del Rey for the second year in succession. Other notable successes came at his home town of Las Navas del Marqués, Parentis-en-Born and Robledo de Chavela. He ended up fifth in the escalafón with 18 ears cut from 21 appearances. Sergio is hoping that 2024 will see him obtain strong results once again and take the alternativa.

*Tristán Barroso (image by El Juanito from Tristán’s X page)*

The 18-year-old madrileño Tristán Barroso debuted with picadors at Olivenza in March, cutting three ears and leaving the plaza a hombros. Further success came at Mont de Marsan in July; Blanca, Iniesta, Almorox and San Sebastián de los Reyes in August; and Navalcarnero in September. He also won an ear at Zaragoza in October and finished seventh in the escalafón with 26 ears and a tail from 20 novilladas.

*José Antonio Valencia Jnr (image from tendido5.com)*

In his fourth season as a novillero, the Venezuelan José Antonio Valencia Jnr (his father is the matador of the same name) did well to finish ninth in the escalafón with 34 ears and a tail cut from 19 appearances. His main triumphs came at Pozoamargo, Estepona, Los Barrios, Valdepiélagos, Ledaña, Malpartido de Plasencia, La Linea de la Concepción, Gavilanes, Pedro Muñoz and El Herrumblar. Managed by the Salamancan subalterno Domingo Siro, Valencia took the alternativa from the hands of El Fandi at Baza on 12 September, winning three ears, a result that was duplicated at his sole subsequent corrida at Albox towards the end of October. His plans are to spend the winter toreando in Venezuela and to return to Spain in 2024 to campaign as a matador de toros.

*Manuel Román (image from Plaza de Toros de Ronda)*

Another to debut with picadors this year (at Linares in February, winning four ears) the 17-year-old Manuel Román had other notably successful afternoons at Valverde del Camino, Cazalla de la Sierra, Pozoblanco, his home city of Córdoba (where he cut four ears in an encerrona in May), Aranjuez, Navaluenga, Nava de la Asunción and Montoro (where he had a bull of Santiago Domecq indultado). He ended 10th in the escalafón, cutting 29 ears and a tail from 19 appearances.

2023 marked the third season of Alejandro Peñaranda amongst picadors and the 21-year-old from Iniesta (Albacete) made steady progress as the year went on, facing more encastes than most of his colleagues and eventually finishing 12th in the escalafón with 13 ears won from 17 appearances. His best afternoons were at his birthplace in August and at Valencia in October, on both occasions cutting three ears, but he also went out on shoulders at Albacete and Fuensalida. His Valencia triumph should see him well placed to mount a strong campaign in 2024.

*Guillermo García Pulido (image by Ángel Bravo from infotauro.com)*

Guillermo García Pulido (22) made a strong impact at the start of the 2023 temporada by going out on shoulders at Valdemorillo and Garlin (facing pedrazas) and then cutting single ears in two successive appearances at Las Ventas. Two-ear faenas followed at Hagetmau, Arganda del Rey, Villaseca de la Sagra (where he won the ‘Alfarero de Oro’ as the feria triunfador), Valdilecha and Valdetorres del Jarama. He finished 13th in the escalafón with 23 ears from 16 novilladas. Acclaimed as the novillero of the year in SW France, the toledano will commence 2024 as a matador de toros as his alternativa has already been announced (along with a change of manager from José Blanco to Gerardo Roa) as part of Valdemorillo’s February feria.

*Daniel Medina (image from federaciontaurinavalladolid.com)*

Nineteen-year-old Daniel Medina won Arnedo’s ‘Zapato de Oro’ in September after cutting an ear from a novillo of Adolfo Martín (only the president denying him the animal’s second oreja). From Valladolid, and a student at Salamanca’s prestigious escuela taurina, Daniel shone particularly brightly at Castellón, Las Matas, Rionansa (in Cantabria, where an encerrona yielded seven ears and a tail) and Requejo (also in Cantabria), but then only won one ear in his last seven novilladas. He ended up 14th in the escalafón with 19 ears and a tail from 16 appearances and has opted for a change in management for 2024.

Valencia’s latest hope is Nek Romero, to such an extent that the 19-year-old from Algemesí shared the bill with Alejandro Talavante in a corrida mixta in Valencia in October (a concept that’s to be repeated, this time with Morante de la Puebla and Pablo Hermoso de Mendoza accompanying the novillero, at March’s Las Fallas). His 2023 temporada consisted of 15 novilladas in which he cut 25 ears, showing particularly strongly at Casas Ibañez, Valencia, Navas de San Juan and Villa del Prado. With Romero managed by Santiago López, it has already been decided that Enrique Ponce’s final corrida in Valencia next October will include a symbolic passing of the baton by the retiring maestro giving the youngster his alternativa.

Last but by no means least, Samuel Navalón (another valenciano) caught the eye at the start of 2023 with a string of successes in competitions for novilleros sin picadores. He debuted with horsemen at Almería’s feria in August, winning three ears, and also triumphed at Tarazona de la Mancha, Albacete, Villaviciosa de Odón, Munera and Algamesí, where he won the novillada feria’s ‘Naranja de Oro’. Expect to see both him and Nek Romero in the leading plazas in 2024.

11 novilleros showing promise (2023 Season Review Pt4)

Battle lines drawn?

Setbacks (2023 Season Review Pt3)