Mundotoro.com have produced some interesting statistics on ganaderías covering the 2024 temporada’s corridas that are able to be broken down into individual countries and categories of plaza. In terms of numbers, across both France and Spain, there were nine big-factory ganaderias, headed by Núñez del Cuvillo, who fielded 135 bulls in all. Juan Pedro Domecq was the next most common ganadería (126 bulls), followed by Victoriano del Río (122), Domingo Hernández and Alcurrucén (both 91), Fuente Ymbro and Fermín Bohórquez (both 85), and Montalvo and Victorino Martín (both 78). Other than Alcurrucén (Núñez encaste), Fermín Bohórquez (Murube-Urquijo) and Victorino Martin (Albaserrada), all these ranches’ herds are based on the Domecq encaste.

A look at Spain and France separately reveals differences in each country’s approach to los toros. In Spain, the 10 most common ganaderías are Núñez del Cuvillo, Juan Pedro Domecq, Domingo Hernández, Victoriano del Río, Fuente Ymbro, Montalvo, El Capea, Alcurrucén, Garcigrande and Puerto de San Lorenzo - all, apart from El Capea (which has fielded toros both for rejoneo and for toreo a pie), pretty regular fare on the main feria circuit. While Domecq is the predominant encaste, the Murube-Urquijo bloodline is represented by El Capea, alcurrucenes are Núñez in origin and Puerto de San Lorenzo bulls are of the Atanasio encaste. In France, the standings are headed by three French-based ganaderías - Pages Mailhan, Gallon and Valverde - followed by Victoriano del Río, Juan Pedro Domecq, Jandilla, Luc et Marc Jalabert, Blohorn, La Quinta and Robert Margé. In addition to a majority of this top 10 being French bulls, the leading encastes are slightly less varied than in Spain; while La Quinta is a santacoloma herd, the remainder are all essentially domecqs, although Pages Mailhan is part santacoloma, Blohorn is a mix of Parladé and Gamero Cívico bloodlines, and Robert Margé has a Carlos Núñez element in those of its bulls that are derived from Cebada Gago.

But which bulls are the ones toreros are more likely to triumph with?

In Spain, judging by the statistics, the ganaderias with the highest ratio of ears cut to bulls fought are Núñez del Cuvillo, Domingo Hernández, Montalvo, Toros de Albarreal, La Palmosilla, Vellosino, Santiago Domecq and Julio A. de la Puerta. Predictably, ranches that specialise in supplying bulls for corridas de rejoneo - Fermín Bohórquez, José Benítez Cubero and Hdros. de Ángel Sánchez y Sánchez - also score highly. Looking solely at results in the first class plazas, the top ganaderías are Fuente Ymbro (including two-ear faenas by Roca Rey and Tomás Rufo at Pamplona, and David Galván at San Sebastián), Victoriano del Río (including two-ear faenas from Roca Rey and Alejandro Talavante in Sevilla, and Emilio de Justo at Pamplona), Núñez del Cuvillo (including two-ear faenas from Daniel Luque at Sevilla and Pablo Aguado at San Sebastián) and Jandilla (including one two-ear faena from Roca Rey at Valencia), while El Pilar bulls join Núñez del Cuvillo and Juan Pedro Domecq animals in performing strongly in second class bullrings.

A new, promising ganadería is that of Álvaro Núñez, consisting of Núñez del Cuvillo stock, which provided 43 animals to novilladas and corridas in 2024, from which 29 ears were cut, with notable two-ear faenas from Andrés Roca Rey (thrice), Manzanares, Curro Díaz, Sebastián Castella and Daniel Luque. The two-year-old ranch has 62 bulls available to be fought in 2025; has been signed up for Pamplona; and will also be debuting in a first class ring in France.

In France, the ganaderías that have offered most chance of success are Victoriano del Río, Juan Pedro Domecq and Garcigrande - all Spanish - and the French-owned but Spanish-based Ganadería Virgen María, although the latter only took part in one corrida at Nîmes in May in which nine ears were cut, four by Juan Leal, three by Solalito and two by Fernando Adrián. Jandilla is another attractive offering in France’s first class bullrings, while, on the rejoneo front, Fermín Bohórquez is the leading ranch.

Over the 2024 season, 271 ganaderías supplied bulls for corridas in Spain and 75 for corridas in France.

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