Bulls at El Batán

The two best pieces of news for this aficionado during 2021 were, firstly, the arrival of Plaza Toros TV, Movistar’s streaming service beyond Spain of its Canal Toros pay channel , and secondly, the announcement that the traditional display of bulls bound for Las Ventas would return to the Casa del Campo’s La Venta del Batán.

Miguel Abellán, Director of the Madrid Comunidad’s Centro de Asuntos Taurinos, has pointed out that this may not occur in time for 2022’s Feria de San Isidro, as exhibiting the bulls in El Batán’s corrals will not become a contract condition until the end of that feria when la Comunidad’s new contract (yet to be tendered) is due to come into force.

But the prospect of returning to El Batán for a leisurely view of the bulls, refreshment at the bar overlooking the corrals, perhaps even the chance of seeing some toreo nearby from students of la Escuela Regional de Tauromaquia José Cubero Yiyo, relocated from Las Ventas to the Casa del Campo, is an enticing one. As a reminder, here are some photos from El Batán taken in the 1980s:

‘Rosalito’, bull of Hermanos Fraile

Murteira Grave bulls

Jijones

Bulls of Matías Bernados

Ganadería unknown

Bull of Cortijoliva