The most interesting cartel of this year’s Olivenza feria

The pretty plaza of Olivenza has once again heralded the start of Europe’s temporada with a feria built around figuras. This year, indeed, both of the feria’s two corridas featured Andrés Roca Rey. But the most interesting cartel was a morning novillada that featured Manuel Román, Marco Pérez, Javier Zulueta and Tomás Bastos with animals from Alejandro Talavante’s ranch.

Here was a fascinating preview of the likely stars of tomorrow, two of them - Zulueta and Bastos - making their debut con picadores. Eighteen-year-old Manuel Román, from Córdoba, had a successful first season en luces in 2022 and a promising temporada con picadores in 2023, triumphs at Córdoba and Aranjuez included. Marco Pérez (16, from Salmanca, and now in his first full season with picadors) has been creating headlines ever since his first public appearances at his home town’s escuela taurina and has already gone out on shoulders at Sevilla’s La Maestranza and Madrid’s Las Ventas. Javier Zulueta (18) has a strong taurine pedigree, being the son, brother and nephew of Maestranza alguacilillos (that’s not all - his grandfather was a puntillero, while another uncle is the ganadero Gabriel Rojas): in 2022, the sevillano won the Escuelas Taurinas Andaluzas’ series of becerradas, and followed this up last year by winning Sevilla’s Ciclo de Promoción de Nuevos Valores de la Torería. Tomás Bastos (16) is Portuguese, but an alumno of Badajoz’s escuela taurina, and has cut ears in the demanding plazas of Mont de Marsan and Colmenar Viejo. All four are managed by longstanding taurinos - Román is managed by Juan Collado Ruiz and Juan Ruiz Palomares, longtime manager of Enrique Ponce; Pérez’s apoderado is ex-matador Juan Bautista; Zulueta has been snapped up by Ramón Valencia, representative of Pagés, Sevilla’s empresa; and Bastos has recently agreed terms with the former matadora Cristina Sánchez.

Manuel Román (image from deltoroalinfinito.blogspot.com)

Of course, the outcome of a festejo depends just as much (probably more) on the quality of the bulls as well as the toreros, and in this instance the Talavante novillos that Manuel Román drew were the least propitious. The cordobés showed well with the capote in verónicas, tafalleras and gaoneras, but the novillo suffered a voltereta at the end of a quite and, whilst noble, lacked strength in the faena, making linked passes impossible. Two attempts with the estoque led to an ovation. Román’s efforts with his second bull were hindered by an uncertain-charging animal and ended in silence.

Tomás Bastos (image from naturalestauromaquia.blogspot.com)

Tomás Bastos also performed well with the capote on his first novillo, but this was another animal that did not lend itself to linked muletazos and all too soon it went looking for the tablas. Two tries with the sword brought palmas. But Bastos did manage to cut an ear from the festejo’s last novillo, meeting his opponent a portagayola for the second time that morning, placing banderillas (a suerte he should probably drop, judging from the video ‘highlights’), and impressing in the faena to such an extent that an ear was won despite three entries being needed with the estoque.

Marco Pérez (image from Tauroemoción)

The novillada’s triunfadores were Marco Pérez and Javier Zulueta. Pérez is firmly located in the El Juli mould, the youngster impressing with the variety of his passes, his technique and his ability to improvise in the face of his bulls. He met his first animal a portagayola, going on to perform well on both his feet and his knees, and won an ear after an estocada trasera y caída. Another greeting a portagayola and a fine quite of delantales followed with his second bull. There was some impressive linking of close passes in the faena and arrimón to close, and two desarmes didn’t prevent the crowd from petitioning for two ears after the estocada had done its work: the president granted one.

Javier Zulueta (image from lamaestranza.com)

In contrast to Pérez’s rapid variety, Javier Zulueta concentrated on achieving slow, classic passes with his two novillos, winning an ear from each, and, with the seventh bull of the morning, achieving what several critics considered the best performance of the novillada with outstanding temple, elegance and positioning. “Una faena impropia de un debutante con caballos,” said mundotoro, while Aplausos headed its online report “Javier Zulueta come en la mesa de Marco Pérez”.

Although I would prefer to see him in the usual novillada format, Pérez’s early temporada seems to favour mano a mano novilladas or corridas mixtas. If a more regular pairing is to be considered, however, what could be better than the equally promising but contrasting styles of the intrepid salmantino and the artistic Zulueta? Aficionados beyond Spain keen to compare the two for themselves can see them both torear on Castilla-La Mancha Media’s website on March 16, 5pm Spanish time, when they face novillos of Julio de la Puerta at Almagro together with the local novillero Aaron Infantes.

Back at Olivenza, in a feria affected by rainy weather and disappointing toros, Alejandro Talavante was the triunfador, cutting three ears in the opening corrida. But I suspect that, with future toreo in mind, that morning novillada will come to be seen as the most important event of the feria.