San Isidro, May 15: A matter of timing
Ginés Marín on the way to the enfermería
Time is a funny thing. It always strikes me as odd, albeit deliciously so, that one can be at home in England in the morning and, later that day (like today), sitting in a bullring watching a corrida. Timing is a quirky business, too - the flight departure was delayed by a lack of ground staff to load baggage onto the plane, while, at Barajas, the luggage was taken off the plane a good 30-40 minutes before the passengers disembarked, as the pilot had placed the plane too far forward for the front door walkway to engage with the fusilage.
Even after a fortnight of watching televised corridas from Sevilla and Madrid, being at a live event still required some adjustment. Slowness is a large part of what a bullfight’s all about, but there are times - for instance, when a picador is leaving the ring and being applauded for his efforts and suddenly a banderillero is bundled to the ground - when things happen too quickly as well.
That’s the case, of course, with a lot of cornadas. Ginés Marín began this corrida being called out to take saludos in recognition of his previous Puerta Grande-winning performance here in Las Ventas. The young matador met the third El Parralejo bull of the day with some fine verónicas - until the animal’s sizable horns snatched the capote from his hands. Marín opted for some light piccing - the second vara was hardly worthy of the name - and the bull was bucking en banderillas.
Marín’s cogida, the tip of the bull’s horn is apparent exiting his leg
Marín set about the faena as if he had a decent toro, passing the animal closely and taking it to the centre of the ring. Here, during a derechazo, control was suddenly lost and he was caught, the bull’s right horn piercing Ginés’ right leg and lifting him. The blood that began coursing down his taleguilla and onto his stocking told its own story, as did the torero’s occasional limping, but Marín showed no acknowledgement of the situation and simply returned to the fray, bringing off some decent passes on each hand before killing the bull to an ovation. After the matador had taken saludos, he left for the enfermería, his picador father placing two kisses on his son’s cheek as he departed the plaza. So far, 2022 has not been kind to the extremeño - this was only his fourth corrida this season and now the doctors reported a cornada grave with two substantial trajectories of 20 and 25cm.
Curro Díaz in a fine natural
The cornada left today’s director de la lidia, Curro Díaz, with three bulls to torear. His second was stumbling and could only manage a short charge, but the afternoon’s first and last bulls were the best of the day. Neither of these two faenas was quite complete. The first, dedicated to the public and the heavens, contained some beautifully templado passes, particularly on the right hand, and some citing from a distance. An ear couild have come Curro’s way, but for an ugly half-sword killing, a peón draping his capote over the bull’s head and making it impossible to see exactly where the sword had landed.
The ear (disputed) did come off the final parralejo. Curro gave it some fine opening verónicas before losing the bull’s rhythm and there was still some uncertainties about the animal’s quality come the faena. After some stylish opening muletazos, however, Curro embarked on a long, slow, circular walk, establishing himself in the centre of the arena and showing that all was well. Some lovely passes followed - derechazos, naturales (interrupted by a desarme) and pases de pecho - before a closing sequence of trincheras and an excellent estocada.
‘Majadero’’s first encounter with the picador
Special mention should go to Curro’s first bull, ‘Majadero’, which charged superbly to the picador twice, its hind legs soaring off the ground and its head lifting horse and rider high. The applause it received en arrastre was fully deserved.
Álvaro Lorenzo came on to the cartel as a substitute for Emilio de Justo and still carrying the wound a bull of Montalvo inflicted on him here on May 8. A few years ago, at an anniversary lunch of the Club Taurino of London, I saw Lorenzo produce the finest toreo de salón I’ve witnessed, but I’ve never seen him as good in the plaza. His first bull today was sent out during banderillas (the only black mark I’d put against today’s president, as it was his sole departure from the regulations) and replaced by a manso animal of José Vázquez just two months short of its sixth birthday; the faena was de menos a más and closed to an aviso with a metisaca and a good estocada.
A spectacular pase cambiado from Lorenzo - just before he lost the cloth!
Álvaro dedicated his final bull to the plaza, cited it from half the ring away with the muleta furled, then released the cloth and switched it behind his back at the last minute - a spectacular beginning only spoilt by his losing the cloth on the animal’s horns! Muleta back in his hands, he tried his hardest with a bull that pawed the ground before charging and which only had enough strength for two consecutive passes, causing him to rest it frequently. Lorenzo ended with bernadinas and a strong estocada, and I was somewhat surprised by the subsequent petition, but it was undoubtedly a majority one and the ear was duly awarded.
The absolutists in Tendido Siete duly disputed this award (today, they criticised all the bulls apart from Curro’s and were quite happy to see one devuelto against the regulations). By the corrida’s end, they were shouting “Fuera!” towards the president, Juan Francisco García González; in their eyes, it was time for him to go.