Looking back on an historic Feria de San Miguel

With the city’s April feria carteles carried over to its secondary September feria, this year’s San Miguel in Sevilla was certainly an historic one in terms of the number of festejos featured. It was also the first lengthy feria to take place since the economically disastrous San Isidro at Madrid’s Vistalegre plaza. How would it fare?

Spain’s Covid regulations having changed since April from ensuring 1.5m space between individuals to 1m, San Miguel was able to go ahead with a maximum capacity of 60% of la Maestranza. The seat prices reflected the limited availability as, no doubt, did the earnings of those taking part (Antonio Lorca, writing in El País, has reported that toreros have adjusted their earnings downward this year in the expectation that 2022 will see a normal temporada and full payments restored). In the event, of the 14 festejos, five (i.e. all those featuring Morante de la Puebla or Andrés Roca Rey) were completely sold out, while the October 2 Saturday corrida was “almost full” and the two Thursday corridas saw three-quarters of the permitted capacity reached. At the time of writing, Ramón Valencia has yet to comment on the feria’s economic outcome, but it would seem that major losses have been averted.

Value for money?

Did those two big crowd-pullers live up to expectations? In the case of Morante de la Puebla, certainly. Although the sevillano only cut two ears from his four appearances, he showed a willingness to try to do his best each afternoon - an attitude that has not always been evident from him in the past. Only his swordwork prevented an ear on the ‘Easter Sunday’ cartel of 18 September, while he drew the worst of the juanpedros in his mano a mano with Juan Ortega on 24 September, but still produced moments with cape and muleta. Things built up to a crescendo on the feria’s final weekend, the Friday seeing a magnificent, two-ear triumph - and a cogida - for Morante on his second encounter with bulls of JP Domecq, and the Sunday bringing the longed-for meeting between the matador and miuras. In the end, he fought just one miura, his second being devuelto, but surprised with some graceful verónicas as well as some old-style toreo with the muleta. All in all, it is fitting that Morante has been announced as the feria’s triunfador, as well as the author of the series’ best faena.

With Andrés Roca Rey, things are less certain. He achieved an ear and a tour of the ring on his first appearance, showing his capacity for understanding and engaging his bulls in linked passes from early on, but left many spectators feeling they hadn’t seen the best of him (a feeling that would have been intensified if they saw film of his electrifying performance at Logroño three days later). He won a further ear on his second feria appearance thanks largely to a closing sequence of arrimón and an estoconazo to his final garcigrande, neither of his bulls proving particularly propitious for toreo. On his last feria appearance, the youngster got down on his knees for some risky-looking cambios por la espalda at the start of his first faena, but thereafter things didn’t go his way with either bull apart from two strong estocadas. I have to admit (much like it was in the times that Jesulín de Ubrique headed the escalafón) I am flummoxed as to why Roca Rey draws the crowds when there are so many more interesting toreros out there.

Breakthrough man

Apart from Morante, the matador who had the most successful feria was fellow sevillano Juan Ortega. His four opening verónicas templadas and a media (causing the band to strike up) and a quite of chicuelinas to his first bull were the highlights of the feria’s disappointing second corrida and paved the way for the empresa (and the public) to be content with a Morante/Ortega mano a mano on September 24 after Pablo Aguado had to withdraw from the cartel. Once again, Ortega’s impressive capework brought music, and he followed this through with two strong faenas, one ending in poor swordwork, the other with an ear. His last performance, on October 1, saw more fine toreo but also more concerns about Ortega’s ability with the estoque. Nevertheless, this was a breakthrough feria for the sevillano - winner of the award for best capework - and, if it had happened in April, would no doubt have secured him a busy temporada at higher rates than he has probably been charging to date.

Other triunfadores

The matador who came nearest to being carried out on shoulders through the Puerta del Príncipe (requiring three ears cut) was arguably Emilio de Justo in his sole feria performance - a victorinada mano a mano with Antonio Ferrera. He survived a tossing from his first bull to cut two ears from his second with a faena that began with series of derechazos, then moved to single naturales before closing with a mix of passes on either hand and a terrific estocada. His last veleto victorino received verónicas in the centre of the arena - de Justo showing his determination to succeed with this animal too - and then quites from both matadors before Emilio dedicated its faena to the public. After the initial derechazos, there were some excellent linked naturales, before de Justo kept the cloth in the left hand for de frente passes. Pases ayudados, further derechazos and some abanico followed, and that important third ear would have been his but for two attempts with the estoque, which meant that the petition was a minority one.

The other two-ear triumphs came on the final weekend, Diego Urdiales (in his second feria appearance) following on from Morante’s similar success and achieving his first big triumph in la Maestranza. He’d already tried hard with his first bull that day, a complicated and immobile beast, then showed well from the outset with his second, his opening capework followed by a tasteful faena of classic passes, given closely and con naturalidad, and ending with naturales de frente and a volapie that won him the award for best estocada of the feria.

The last two-ear performance occurred in the closing miurada and came from Manuel Escribano. The sevillano has not fared well in recent times, with just five contracts last year (although this year the figure has increased to 20) and said after the corrida, “When they don’t put you on in the ferias you deserve to be in, it’s afternoons like yesterday’s in Sevilla when you have to pull out all the stops.” He began the lidia of his first miura by meeting it a portagayola; followed that with some decent verónicas; placed three pairs of banderillas, each executed differently; and then produced a fluid faena, mainly on the right hand, before ending with a solid estocada. His second bull gave him no chance of winning any further apendice.

Close, but no cigar

There were a number of toreros, apart from Juan Ortega, who were on the verge of a two-ear success, only to see those orejas slip from their grasp. Daniel Luque was unlucky not to win an ear off each of his bulls on September 22 - his fine opening faena had to carry the burden of a Santiago Domecq bull that failed to transmit, while the president opted to ignore a majority petition for an ear following his second lidia. On September 25, Miguel Ángel Perera cut an ear from his second garcigrande after a faena reminiscent of his best performance at Madrid’s 2019 Feria de Otoño, but was prevented from receiving a similar award off his first animal by a low sword. Problems killing also saw José María Manzanares lose an ear from his first bull on 30 September before a second strong faena to a weak García Jiménez bull, closed with an estocada recibiendo, brought him an oreja.

Business as usual - and a disappointment

For El Fandi, El Juli, Rafael Serna, Antonio Ferrera, Paco Ureña, Ángel Jiménez and Pepe Moral, San Miguel proved to be just another feria with its ups and downs and no outstanding results.

Pablo Aguado’s withdrawal from the feria after his September 18 appearance, when an injury he’d apparently been carrying for some time was aggravated, was a big disappointment. The sevillano had had a fairly low-key 2021 temporada and repeat success in his home city would have stood him in better stead for 2022.

The novilleros

The feria’s first novillada, El Parralejo animals for Manolo Vázquez, Jaime González-Écija and Manuel Perera, saw good performances from all three youngsters, with the ambitious Perera cutting an ear from each of his bulls after a typically gutsy performance.

The second novillada was the reverse side of the coin, with complicated and manso animals that provided little opportunity for success. Juan Pedro García Calerito did enough to secure a vuelta al ruedo, more than his companions, Manuel Diosleguarde and Jorge Martínez, could manage.

The bulls

The El Parralejo bulls for the opening novillada were perhaps the most complete string of animals in the feria, the jury of la Real Maestranza opting not to award the prize for the best corrida of toros. They did, though, decide on the feria’s best bull - Miura’s ‘Cuajadito’, the animal from which Manuel Escribano cut two ears.

Otherwise, the strings from Victoriano del Río/Toros de Cortés and Fuente Ymbro (described by the ganadero himself as “nobles, pero sin vida”) were disappointing - just as they had been at Albacete’s feria earlier in the month - in addition to the jandillas and the novillos of Rocío de la Cámara. The bulls from Santiago Domecq appeared to be affected by their weight, while the two Garcigrande/Domingo Hernández strings performed variably. Hnos. García Jiménez y Olga Jiménez were one of the better strings, with Juan Pedro Domecq also showing well in both the ganadería’s corridas.

A pointer to the future?

Given the attendance figures at this year’s enlarged Feria de San Miguel and Ramón Valencia’s recent pronouncements that he wants to see a shorter Feria de Abril in future, could this year’s experience point to a longer San Miguel from 2022 onwards? In recent years, San Miguel has been no longer than two or three days, but 2021 has shown that Sevilla could sustain a week-long feria in September should it choose to do so.