After the low of yesterday, the high of an unforgettable corrida today at Valladolid…

I have been mightily impressed by young Tomás Rufo ever since seeing him go out the puerta grande of Las Ventas on my last trip to Spain two years ago. Here was someone, I reckoned, very special. The novillero compounded that impression with a mighty performance in this year’s San Isidro, winning three ears, and a memorable series of verónicas at El Puerto last month. I would probably have attended the toledano’s alternativa originally set for Mont de Marsan in July 2020, only for the pandemic to prevent Rufo from achieving the number of novilladas required to become a full matador; today’s ceremony was a major driver for my being in Spain this time.

Wearing the traditional white and gold for such occasions, the youngster once again performed a fine, templada series of verónicas, closed with a media and a larga, to an impressive-looking Garcigrande bull that was just two months short of six years in age. The bull charged strongly to the picador’s horse, throwing man and mount to the ground with driving force and a flick of its head. Rufo decided that was sufficient exercise for the morrillo and gave the animal a quite of templadas gaoneras.

The alternativa ceremony was a protracted one, El Juli giving young Tomás a lengthy address and referring to the testigo, Manzanares, at one point. What it must be for a youngster to now be amongst toreros he has looked up to on his path to becoming a matador de toros! Rufo was not over-awed by the occasion, though. Indeed, he set the bar high for his companions by producing a faena based on the classic passes – with one exception: a cheeky, Roca Rey-like pase por la espalda towards the end – and his calling card of temple.

One exquisite series followed another, with plenty on the left hand, the plaza turning into a madhouse as the crowd couldn’t contain its enthusiasm for what it was witnessing. The estocada hit home, the bull was felled, and the president awarded a fully merited two ears, Tomás embarking on a lengthy tour of the ring. This had been a sensational performance by the new matador.

How to follow that? Well, El Juli (facing the first of today’s three Domingo Hernández bulls, the others coming out fifth and sixth, all of which were given the Garcigrande divisa) also produced a terrific faena of slow and stretching derechazos and naturales before taking to circulares and some luquesina arrimón towards the end. The matador (who’d experienced some initial difficulty with his animal in the opening capework) was in utter control with the muleta, and it was a shame that the faena ended with one of his trademark leaping estocadas delivered from the bull’s side. This after a pinchazo and before a descabello. There was a majority petition for an ear, correctly acceded to.

José Mari Manzanares opened his account with some slow verónicas and the subsequent faena had its moments, but the bull showed manso tendencies and there was much use of the pico and distance between man and animal as the matador sculpted his passes. A pinchazo, estocada and aviso led to a minority petition, the alicantino taking saludos.

El Juli produced another wonderful faena with his second bull, his undoubted talent on full display. Thankfully, there were fewer circulares this time, but what we were given was a faena replete with details – a molinete here, an afarolado there, etc. The kill – still a leaping one – showed better positioning than on his first bull and two ears were duly awarded, although a few cushions thrown into the ring on the madrileño’s vuelta indicated some displeasure with that outcome.

Manzanares’ meeting his second bull with a larga cambiada de rodillas, verónicas, chicuelinas and a closing larga showed his determination not to leave the plaza empty-handed. The bull displayed a long charge and was given a light pic before one of the alicantino’s banderilleros took saludos for two wonderful pairs of sticks. The faena was a patchy one, the muleta enganchada on occasions and a near-cogida occurring at one point, but the good parts were excellent, the tandas sustained, the muleta held low. José Mari’s second execution of a recibiendo kill was successful and an ear was won.

Tomás Rufo, too, began the lidia of his second animal down on his knees for a larga cambiada, then got up for verónicas, chicuelinas and a larga, his temple still evident. His subsequent quite of chicuelinas and a media verónica ended with a desarme and desplante. More good banderillas followed. It was clear this bull posed difficulties, but Rufo dedicated the faena to the public and managed to extract series from unpromising material, his muleta sometimes held at mid-height and on occasion caught on the horns.

The new matador opted to ignore a warning from an increasingly defensive animal and, before long, was sent up in the air before crashing down and landing badly on the top of his shoulders. His colleagues piled in for the quite and, the bull removed, revived the youngster with water. Rufo returned to give the animal a pass and then lined it up for the kill, the matador looking as if he was about to faint at one point. After gathering himself up for another fine estocada, Tomás limped around the ring with a further two ears in his hands before being carried out of the ring on shoulders together with El Juli.

This had been an unforgettable corrida, a sensational alternativa, with all three matadors performing well before a passionate crowd.