San Isidro, May 15 (matinal): Marco Pérez enraptures Las Ventas
Jock Richardson wrote on this blog site in April about the appearance of becerrista Marco Pérez in Castellón, when the promising youngster had been tagged on to the end of a corrida with just one animal to face - an approach which Jock felt put unnecessary pressure on the teenager. This Madrid debut was a better approach - a clase práctica with three Jandilla erales promoted as a free morning event on the day of San Isidro. It drew a good response from the public, with the lower tendidos almost full and many children in the audience.
Marco (still a becerrista in Spain although he has now debuted as a novillero in Mexico where 15-year-olds can torear at that level) was greeted warmly as he stepped out into the ring and was called out for saludos before the clase got underway.
Things couldn’t have gone any better with his first eral. Marco met it with verónicas and delantales, mixing feet-together passes with ones with the legs apart. A quite of fine chicuelinas followed. After dedicating to the public, the salmantino began with estatuarios and then set about lovely series of linked derechazos. His naturales weren’t so clean and he soon went back to the right hand for further close series, interspersed with trincheras, an arrucina and Roca Rey’s pase cambiado de la espalda, but in this instance keeping his body straight rather than an ugly curving. What impressed throughout was his calm, thinking, disposition and a talent to torear over and above his years. He closed with manoletinas and leapt over the bull for a well-placed estocada to earn its two ears - some spectators were even shouting for the tail!
The next two erales were bigger in size and more complicated, but young Pérez coped well with both of them. He got down on his knees for a larga cambiada de rodillas with his second animal, then gave it excellent verónicas and followed that with a quite of tafalleras. Although this was a more challenging animal, we saw more passes with the left hand, and, except in some rapid cambios de mano and trincheras, Marco exuded temple throughout. He grew too confident, however, and shortly after an arrucina, was caught, thrown and lifted violently from the ground. All was well, though, and the youngster recovered for more fine passes before managing to push his estoque three-quarters home - sufficient for the bull to drop and to win another two ears, awarded somewhat generously this time.
With four ears already to his name, Marco unnecessarily opted to meet his last eral a portagayola - a lance that didn’t come off, the becerrista having to dive to the ground instead. Back on his feet, he produced some fine verónicas with the feet together and a quite of close gaoneras. Unfortunately, this animal had a tendency to cut in on its left horn, so the faena was almost entirely on the right, but once again it included several impressive series of muletazos. Two pinchazos and a bajonazo saw it end in a vuelta al ruedo, Pérez accompanied by his cuadrilla of students from the Madrid escuela. Then he was hoisted on shoulders and, surrounded by children, was carried out Madrid’s Puerta Grande. Not for the last time, I suspect.