San Isidro, May 15 (tarde): Perera waves goodbye to a Madrid ear

Some bulls have returned to El Batán this year, but the experience from the ganaderos’ viewpoint has not been good. Take today’s El Parralejo bulls as a case in point. In the restricted space of the Batán corrales, one animal received a cornada and had to be replaced, and then two animals were finally rejected for “falta de trapío”. The latter occurrence particularly annoyed the mayoral, Sergio Núñez, who commented, “Given the good management of the animals from when they departed the finca, they’ve just had too many days in these corrales and these things can happen. I don’t believe it’s necessary to exhibit them for so many days.”

The end result was that we were left with four interesting bulls from El Parralejo and, to start the corrida, two complete duds from José Vázquez, one of which was for the Mexican, Isaac Fonseca, to confirm his alternativa.

This first animal was a complete manso, so successful at avoiding the capotes that Fonseca was still attempting to cape it as the picadors entered the ring - with the unsurprising result of an unplanned entry to the horse. The bull followed this by receiving another puyazo at the opposite side of the plaza. Two further puyazos followed, but the bull was still its own master at the tercio’s end. In a very long faena, Isaac did well to get any decent passes out of the animal at all. The first aviso came before he collected the sword: a pinchazo, estocada and three descabellos brought a second. There were pitos for the bull and, surprisingly, silence for its killer.

Miguel Ángel Perera’s first bull was cut from a similar cloth, seeking its querencia early and moving in on the left horn. Curro Javier received merited applause for his banderillas, and then I suspect most in the crowd were flummoxed when Perera opted to dedicate this bull to them. He did get a faena out of it, but it consisted of single passes to a bull that was not at all impressive and, before long, some in the crowd made it clear they wanted Perera to call a halt. It was only when an aviso sounded, however, that he changed swords. A three-quarters estocada was followed by five descabellos, more pitos and more silence.

Facing the ganadería he should have been facing all along, Miguel Ángel found he had more options, although the strong wind that has plagued the plaza for most of San Isidro to date put paid to any notable capework. This faena was a very good one, consisting of well-judged, linked series of derechazos and naturales con temple, closed with long pases de pecho. Extremely close bernadinas followed before the kill. The bull’s ear was his, only for Miguel Ángel to opt to kill it from the side rather than go over its horns. Four pinchazos and an estocada were delivered in all, all from the same position, the matador giving a nonchalant (or was it resigned?) wave to the crowd as he walked back to the barrera.

Isaac Fonseca, who’d been atypically (but wisely) subdued during his opening lidia, drew a final bull that was applauded on entry but proved weak on its forelegs. After some verónicas and some excellent banderillas from Juan Carlos Rey, the plucky Mexican got down on his knees near the centre of the ring to take the bull past, only to see his muleta go with the bull too! He recovered to repeat the suerte successfully and achieve a series of muletazos from on his knees, and also spent much of the faena citing the bull to charge in from a distance. But there was only one truly linked series before he collected the estoque. The closing bernadinas sin ayuda were hair-raising and were interrupted by an aviso. Fonseca closed with a sword to the lungs, which was followed by a minority petition. Let’s hope that next year’s San Isidro is not so figura-obsessed as this edition and still has room for Fonseca.

One of the 2022 feria triunfadores, Ángel Téllez, has had a dreadful 2023 San Isidro. Returning for his second and final feria appearance, and now carrying the results of a further shoulder injury at Orgaz on top of the injury he received here on May 12, he simply pegged passes all day and was well beneath the quality of his first ensabanado El Parralejo bull. His second animal achieved two derribos in two charges to the picador’s horse, which probably cost it strength come the faena - another some in the crowd eventually called for its end. Téllez heard pitos after his first lidia (the bull was taken out to applause) and received silence following his second.