Albacete, September 11: A similar result, but for different reasons
From Valladolid, I headed by train south to Albacete, where I was due to spend most of the next week. After the disappointments of Madrid’s figura-centred Feria de San Isidro, it would be a pleasure to engage in Albacete’s old-style feria, with its mix of figuras, modestos and local toreros and an interesting variety of bulls. Virtually every cartel had been put together with care and had something going for it. Today was the second novillada of the feria (the first had been a mano a mano between Manolo Caballero hijo and Samuel Navalón, the result being in Navalón’s favour by three ears to two) and featured the latest rising star from Valencia alongside two lads from Albacete’s escuela taurina.
And for my second day running, all three espadas were accompanied out of the ring by the mayoral. But today’s end result was more due to the quality of the swordwork and the generosity of the Albacete public than anything else.
The first sword in today’s novillada was Alejandro Peñaranda, originally from Cuenca but an alumno of Albacete’s bullfight school. He performed here in last year’s feria and recently impressed on an appearance in Madrid’s Las Ventas. Today, he disappointed on his first El Montecillo novillo, greeting it with a larga cambiada de rodillas and rapid chicuelinas with nary a verónica in sight! The faena (sensitively dedicated to today’s debutant) was mainly carried out on the right hand and involved nothing spectacular until the estocada. A sizable petition, however, brought an ear. He was better on his second animal, when he didn’t need to be reminded to turn it in passes and dispensed with the sword to produce naturales with the right hand. Another committed estocada led to a further ear, deserved this time.
Nek Romero, the latest hope of the Valencian afición, impressed as the most capable of today’s trio, producing excellent half-kneeling verónicas and a media in greeting, walking chicuelinas to the horse and a quite of static chicuelinas and a very close tafallera to finish. His novillo had a tendency to buck and hook in the faena, Romero nevertheless managing to keep the cloth low. He was another to temporarily cast away the estoque in order to bring off naturales with the right hand. His estocada was well-placed but somewhat shallow and a descabello was needed to down the bull and claim a worthy ear.
His second novillo revealed its manso nature en varas and was generally defensive rather than aggressive. Nek began its lidia with some decent verónicas con pies juntos and produced a reasonable faena, closed with tight bernadinas and a strong sword - sufficient to bring a majority petition and a further ear.
Francisco José Mazo was making his debut with picadors just days after the death of his picador father. He duly dedicated his opening faena to the heavens and laid a carnation in the centre of the ring at the end of it. There was not enough in either of his faenas for my liking, but a number of good moments in his first (although who was in control - he or his novillo?) and another determined estocada brought him an ear, and a second oreja followed after a no-frills faena to his second novillo, which refused to lower its head, and a sword that went into it like a knife through butter.
As for the mayoral accompanying the novilleros out on shoulders, the Montecillo novillos, whilst playing their part in an entertaining novillada, looked better than they generally turned out. The fourth animal, the largest of the day at 512 kilos, was keen on the horse and merited the applause it received en arrastre, but the second, fifth and sixth bulls lacked the qualities one would wish to see in an exceptional toro bravo.