Last weekend, aficionados were treated to no less than four excellent faenas - from the modesto Sergio Serrano in Madrid’s Las Ventas, Antonio Ferrera and Morante de la Puebla at Alicante and José María Manzanares at Castellón.

Each faena, of course, reflected each torero’s particular style. After putting his life on the line trying to bring off passes with a very tricky opening victorino, Sergio Serrano was able to dominate his second and produce muletazos with temple before killing with a fine estocada and winning an ear that will hopefully lead to more contracts for the albaceteño this season.

Antonio Ferrera came to Alicante with a 15cm cornada in his left leg, inflicted the previous day at Badajoz, so determined was he to take part in the city’s feria dedicated to the memory of Manzanares padre. He was able to do very little with a poor opening bull from Luis Algarra, but, with his second, he produced walking chicuelinas en varas and an excellent faena, particularly with the left hand. There was movement and drama (Ferrera’s approach is increasingly old-style), but also closeness and temple, the matador putting all he had into some long naturales. There were tears, too, but these were tears reflecting the emotion of total effort (as opposed to the self-pitying and frequent tears of novillero Francisco Montero). Two long-distance approaches with the estoque and the award of two ears brought an end to a memorable performance.

But the afternoon had still more in store. Morante de la Puebla, who had had little opportunity other than to show some decent verónicas to his first algarra, produced a wonderful faena with his second. It began and ended with two-handed pases por altos, the series of muletazos in between (Morante’s impressive chest ever to the fore) being outstanding, particularly some beautifully slow naturales.

Meanwhile, in Castellón, in a mano a mano with Roca Rey, Manzanares hijo was sensational with the corrida’s fifth bull, from Jandilla. He’d already cut two ears from his first animal and, right from the start with the fifth, José Mari was in charge, curving the bull round his body in linked verónicas and, later, derechazos and naturales, totally dominant and bringing the crowd to its feet on several occasions.

*Bull of Victorino Martín (Madrid 2018)*

The common factor

The common factor to these faenas was a bull that moved and transmitted its presence and potential danger to those watching. Ferrera’s algarra was an ideal animal to accompany the extremeño’s toreo, coming forward rapidly - and particularly cleanly on its left horn. Morante’s algarra moved too, showing similar enthusiasm for the lure to its predecessor. Manzanares’ jandilla was keen to charge to the cloth and follow the lure, its head lowered, throughout its faena and was given a vuelta al ruedo. Ironically, particularly given Sergio Serrano’s scary first opponent, his second victorino, while noble, displayed the least mobility of these four animals, walking through passes, but it had large horns and had already impressed by charging strongly twice to the picador in its tercio de varas. None of these animals were the noble but weak beast one sees all too often with the figuras.

Four faenas: one common factor

Farewell, Enrique?

Vive la France!