El Puerto’s true triunfador

According to reports, despite Morante de la Puebla’s fracaso with his Prieto de la Cal encerrona, El Puerto de Santa María’s summer season ended with Pablo Aguado and Manzanares leaving spectators “open-mouthed”, while earlier in the series, Juan Ortega had achieved an “obra redonda” and the young novillero Manuel Perera a three-ear triumph.

The true triunfador of El Puerto’s August feria taurina, however, was Daniel Luque. Why? Because one should always take into account the behaviour of the bulls a torero is up against.

The closing juanpedros in Aguado’s and Manzanares’ mano a mano - from which each matador cut two ears - were excellent animals, exceedingly keen to follow the lure and charging strongly. Juan Ortega’s garcigrande also leant itself to linked toreo, while Manuel Perera’s triumphal afternoon also involved animals with nobleza. The youngster displayed, intelligence, ambition and bravery, particularly as his first El Freixo novillo was fast-turning and he was not always in control of his large-horned second.

Daniel Luque, on the other hand, had two bulls that posed problems. His first garcigrande was weak-legged at the faena’s start, and hooked and bucked at the end of passes throughout. Whilst maintaining the animal on its feet, Luque created drama by passing it closely; indulging in a sequence of arrimón, keeping the animal close and forcing it through passes; and ending with some carefully-given luquesinas and an estocada hasta la bola for a fully deserved two ears.

His second, larger, animal was trickier still. Although focused on the peto en varas, the bull was easily distracted during the rest of its lidia, Luque securing passes by keeping it close and, whenever possible, leaving the cloth in its face in order to achieve linked series. A pinchazo and estocada led to a further ear, the sevillano having shown character (sometimes lacking in his performances) throughout the evening.