San Isidro, May 24: “La tarde más accidentada de la feria”
Today’s corrida, with Las Ventas full to the rafters to see Andrés Roca Rey and a string of serious and challenging bulls from Conde de Mayalde, was an interesting affair throughout.
The afternoon began with the confirmación de alternativa of the murciano Jorge Martínez. He couldn’t have had a more disquieting bull to accompany the ceremony; by the time the young matador had collected the muleta from Cayetano, the amply horned ‘Estafador’ had overturned horse and picador, upended Martínez and then, in another departure from the picador, surprised Cayetano with its speed, catching the veterano and dragging him under its hooves for several feet. Martínez seemed overwhelmed by the occasion, producing a patchy faena of single passes, some very good but a substantial number enganchados. He ended with an estocada caida, receiving palmas, the bull also receiving undeserved applause en arrastre.
Jorge Martínez continued to disappoint with his second animal, a good-looking negro salpicado run in fourth place as Cayetano was receiving treatment in the plaza infirmary. After some attempts at verónicas, Jorge once again largely contented himself with single passes in the faena - giving the impression of trying them out - retreating from the bull in between rather than standing his ground. Only a short series of linked derechazos near the end indicated what could have been. He killed at the second attempt. The bull was taken out to applause while Martínez received palmas.
Cayetano, returning to San Isidro after a gap of six years in what could turn out to be his final season, had a tough reintroduction to Madrid. The cogida and trampling from Martínez’s first bull left him with an injured back and cuts and bruises to his scrotum, left leg and scalp. His jacket was badly ripped, the confirmación padrino being jacketless for the ceremony and the remainder of the corrida. The spectators, however, were kind towards him, appreciating Cayetano’s decisions to not visit the enfermería until after the confirmation ceremony had taken place and to continue to play a part in the corrida. There was a nice media verónica given to his own first bull, but the matador’s decision to start the faena on his knees backfired, Cayetano managing just two passes before finding himself compromised, dropping the muleta and escaping from the bull by bundling himself over the barrera. With the matador back in the ring, the faena was irregular: the bull was easiest on its left horn and some linked naturales ayudados, together with a fine estocada, were the best the madrileno, now aged 47, could achieve.
After more time in the infirmary, Cayetano closed the corrida with his second bull. This animal was the heaviest of the day at 610 kilos and was weak-footed in the faena, in which the veterano was somewhat tentative. Once again, though, apart from the matador’s flailing legs, there was no criticising the kill, the estoque placed hasta la bola en el alto and quickly proving effective.
The combination of the current No.1 torero, Andrés Roca Rey, and the Madrid public is bound to produce fireworks and that certainly occurred today, the president, José Luis González González, playing his part too. The Peruvian greeted his first mayalde, a beautiful castaño salpicado bragado meano applauded on its entry, with feet-together delantales and a closing larga, the crowd roaring its approval. Somewhat oddly, Jorge Martínez chose the same type of lances in the sole quite, not managing the same aplomb. The faena was begun confidently and nicely with estatuarios, an espaldina and a pase de pecho. Further excellent linked series of derechazos followed, delighting the bulk of the spectators, although securing naturales of similar quality proved more difficult, Andrés returning the cloth to the right hand. There were some hair-raisingly close bernadinas to end with. The estocada brought applause too, the atmosphere in the plaza heading towards a petition for both ears to be awarded, only for the animal not to fall and Roca Rey taking the descabello, positioning the bull for the suerte, but then hesitating about concluding it. Finally, two attempts to descabellar were needed and two avisos sounded before the bull dropped. The majority of spectators still petitioned for the award of an ear but the president (correctly, in my view, given the circumstances) was having none of it.
Snr González also possibly impinged on Roca Rey’s attitude towards his second lidia, twice refusing to comply with the Peruvian’s request for the opening tercio to be ended. The bull was distraído and manso and had gone to the picador and then had twice run into the substitute picador’s horse, receiving light puyazos each time before going on its way. The president only showed his handkerchief after a further entry to the correct picador had occurred. Roca Rey again managed some decent linked series in the faena, chiefly derechazos, the majority of the crowd content given the poor qualities of the bull. His swordwork was disappointing, though, three pinchazos, the last running round, leading to an estocada delivered from the bull’s side. By the time the second aviso sounded, the bull was still on its feet, with Roca Rey showing no intention of taking the descabello (indeed, I reckoned the bull’s condition was such that it was beyond being descabellando). Tendido 7 now had its opportunity to scream derision at the figura. Snr González hesitated with his display of the handkerchief for the third aviso, but finally showed it as the bull was being apuntillado. Now, Tendido 7 let rip with booing and chants of “Fuera!”. From being on the point of a big success and subsequently hearing three avisos, Andrés Roca Rey left the plaza to whistles from 7 and applause from elsewhere. Another Madrid encounter, with more manageable bulls of Victoriano del Río, awaits him on June 7.
