Azpeitia, July 31: Spectacle from Ferrera and plaudits for Galdós

Perhaps it is the aftermath of Miguel Ángel Perera’s superb faena at Santander, but I am finding this year’s Feria de San Ignacio at Azpeitia rather underwhelming. Each of today’s toreros – Antonio Ferrera, Juan Leal and Joaquín Galdós – cut an ear and I didn’t have my handkerchief out once.

The nearest that moment came was on Antonio Ferrera’s second bull (his first animal from Murteira Grave looked overweight and had a very short charge in the faena, Antonio frequently keeping it at arm’s length in passes). The extremeño had been signed up for Azpeitia to mark his 25th year as a matador de toros and the lidia was very much a Ferrera copyright. This animal, ‘Dupla’, was met with several flashes of Antonio’s ugly green capote, leading in to largas and verónicas, before being lined up for two puyazos, charging in from a distance and taken away from the horse by Ferrera himself, chicuelinas to the fore. There followed a spectacular and lengthy faena (dedicated to the ganadero) conducted in Antonio’s trademark style – extended derechazos and naturales and soaring de pechos, but also citing with the lure on his shoulder before curving it over his head, a serpentina with the muleta, pases ayudados and still more derechazos and naturales, the matador clearly enjoying himself. A trophy had been won, but then Ferrera decided to close with one of his walking entries to the kill and ended placing a bajonazo. The generous spectators of Azpeitia still awarded him an ear, but for me the kill had wrecked the earlier impression. ‘Dupla’, though not as impressive as ‘Bárbaro’ yesterday, was awarded a vuelta en arrastre.

There were a lot of French people in the plaza today, together with a banner announcing ‘Les amis de Juan Leal’, so it was no surprise that there was a substantial minority petition for the French matador to be granted an ear from his first bull, the president unfortunately succumbing to it. This animal achieved a derribo on its first entry to the horse (the picador continuing his task on foot!) and charged from a distance for its second encounter with the pica, but it exhibited a short charge in the faena and was whistled en arrastre. Leal managed some passes con temple, but built much of his work on arrimón, keeping close to the animal and not bothering too much as to whether or not the cloth was caught - one awful circular consisted of a series of enganches! After his vuelta, Juan left for the infirmary to have a hand he’d cut on the estoque bandaged. He dedicated his second murteira to the tendidos, only to produce rapid muletazos and for me to decide to award him the title ‘Rey de los enganches’. Rain had started by now, the killing was protracted and the lidia ended with silence for both parties.

The third ear – and the most positive reports in the subsequent crónicas of the festejo – went to the Peruvian, Joaquín Galdós. With his first bull, dedicated to the public, he produced the first proper series of passes of the afternoon, but had to settle for a vuelta after his swordwork went on too long. His work with the muleta was cleaner on his second bull, the passes rapid (too rapid for my liking), but close. A decent estocada and a closing descabello was followed by an ear from a majority petition.