Tordesillas Sept.13: Garcigrandes for modestos

Vuelta al ruedo for today’s sixth bull

Yesterday’s corrida in Salamanca notwithstanding, one of the impacts of the pandemic and the reduced numbers of bullfights taking place is that the more commercial ganaderias are claiming a bigger share of the market. So Tordesillas’s annual corrida this year was able to feature bulls from Garcigrande and the sister herd, Domingo Hernández, for the modestos Manuel Escribano, Juan del Álamo and Román. The local paper correctly commented that the bulls that came out would not have disgraced a first class plaza.

There’s been a mix of approaches towards Covid safety on this trip. The Spaniards, by and large, are very good at wearing masks outdoors (at corridas, this is a requirement, although generally outdoors it is not obligatory). The temperature checks mentioned when you buy your bullfight ticket have not materialised, nor, at Salamanca, did the promised check of individual tickets against ID documentation, which would, one felt, lead to large queues at the bullring entrances. There are always public address announcements to remind spectators of their public health obligations – although, when it came to mentioning social distancing at Salamanca (the only ring that has spaced out the seating amongst spectators this week), the laughter from the crowd drowned out the rest of the communication. Here at Tordesillas, the taquillera was painstakingly recording by hand the name and phone number of every ticket holder…

Driving to Tordesillas, it had seemed the corrida might not take place after all. After yesterday’s glorious sunshine, the temperature had dropped by over 12 degrees and there was heavy rain over the plains of Castille. Within an hour of the corrida’s start, the rain abated, although it started up again in lighter fashion to accompany the lidia of the first two bulls. Certainly, attending this corrida was a cold and damp experience.

Manuel Escribano drew two garcigrandes and the first bull that came into the plaza set the tone for the rest – large animals with impressive horns (Spain’s social media, I’ve been told, continues to claim that horn shaving is rampant, but there’s been no indication of this this trip), noble and very toreable. Escribano got to work on his first, but was disappointing given the bull’s qualities. The matador got into difficulties with the opening capework; his banderillas were delivered past the horn; and there was an early desarme in what became an inconsistent faena, some of the series decent and others not. The estocada, however, was a strong one. The sevillano was awarded one ear but clearly thought, rather arrogantly, that he deserved two, holding the ear up and making gestures towards the president’s box as if to say, “Is that all you’re giving me?”

He probably rued that missing second ear even more after the death of his second bull, a huge-horned colorado. Apart from the final pair, his banderillas were poor again – on one entry his attempt to place the darts failed completely – although the faena was a much better one, the series fluid and sustained, and would surely have brought him further apendices but for the swordwork, the bull receiving five descabellos after the estocada.

Juan del Álamo was the big loser of Salamanca’s feria this year, failing to gain a place in it despite a history of being the feria triunfador on several occasions. The last time I’d seen him perform, at Vic-Fezensac, he’d been scared stiff. He’s changed his appearance little since his time as a novillero, but these days gives the impression of someone who has seen better times. He lost his capote on meeting his first good-looking bull (a domingohernandez), but recovered for fine verónicas and a media, allowed the animal two varas – a rarity this week – and then gave a patchy faena with some fine series, particularly the derechazos towards the end, while also displaying a tendency to lose rhythm mid-series or for the cloth to be caught on his opponent’s horns. A pinchazo and estocada led to a generous ear.

He greeted his second animal with feet-together and then legs-apart verónicas before once again falling out of sync with his bull. The animal was given a heavy vara and was the subject of a poor tercio de banderillas. The faena, dedicated with kisses to his young son, was a good one. The bull had a strong charge, but unfortunately a weak front leg, leading to occasional collapses. It was best on its left horn and Juan del Álamo kept it there in the main, producing some fine naturales. He entered directly for the kill, only for the sword to be low. The spectators didn’t mind the sword’s placement very much and awarded a further ear, the matador circling the arena with his son.

Román’s first bull (the other from Domingo Hernández in the encierro) was the only one of today’s animals to pose difficulties, the valenciano clearly believing it had a sight defect. He kept well away from it before it was given some heavy piccing and rough banderillas, but then opted not to give it a faena de aliño. Efforts on both horns resulted in one enganche after another. After seeing him kill with a pinchazo and estocada, the less enlightened spectators petitioned for an oreja, but the lidia ended simply with the matador taking saludos.

Román’s second bull was the biggest of the string. He gave it doblones and verónicas and twice sent it in to the picador. This was a fine animal and Román rightly dedicated its faena to the public. The valenciano can be very rapid, but he tries to torear according to the cánones and at great exposure to himself. After a sequence of full-stretch series, the band playing a favourite local tune and the crowd singing along, Román got down on his knees for further muletazos only to get into trouble and lose his balance, a peón performing a quite to save him from injury, and the matador recovering to end the sequence with a pase de pecho. A fine estocada and a descabello killed the bull and saw Román rightly awarded two ears for the day’s strongest performance. The bull was given an equally deserved vuelta en arrastre.