Valladolid, September 7: Getting from A to B

In this chaotic year of travel in the UK, my plans for today were perhaps optimistic - a plane from London to Madrid and then a train from the capital to Valladolid, arriving in good time for the Valladolid feria’s opening corrida of toreo de a pie. In the event, my flight from London Gatwick was delayed for an hour and a half due to the airport’s earlier closure of a runway, then, as we were bussing to customs at Adolfo Suarez, a Ryanair jet was slowly towed across our path, halting all traffic. After a while, the towing vehicle went away, and after a further while, the Ryanair jet moved under its own steam forward across the path again, after which we could move off. In the end, I missed my train from Chamartín by some 10 minutes - about the same time as those Ryanair manoeuvres.

The next two trains to Valladolid being full, I eventually arrived in my hotel just opposite the bullring at 7pm - an hour after the corrida had begun. I hate arriving late at corridas - but arriving late is better than not arriving at all, and I was able to see three and a half of the afternoon’s six faenas.

Fernando Adrián’s was the first faena I caught, the madrileño being midway through a performance with an Antonio Bañuelos bull that seemed none too keen to charge. With his focus on temple, however, Adrián (substituting for an injured Daniel Luque) was able to give the impression of linked passes from individual suertes and it was only bad luck with the sword that prevented him from winning something from an enthused albeit small (one-third of the plaza) audience.

The impression he gave of a torero with a firm concept of toreo who knows exactly where he is going was cemented with his performance on his second bull. After some suave verónicas, he chose to save the animal (given an excellent puyazo by Alberto Sandoval) for the faena, which he began with a pase de espalda and derechazos on his knees in the centre of the ring. There followed excellent linked derechazos and naturales to the best of those bulls I saw today, a closing sequence of bernadinas and a fine sword to win a deserved two ears. A few weeks ago, commentators were bemoaning the treatment Adrián was receiving at the hands of the empresas since his two successive exits through Madrid’s Puerta Grande earlier in the season. However, a rash of successes following his first summer substitution is proving that Adrián is deserving of a regular place on the feria circuit.

I was surprised at the extent of the petitioning for an ear that followed Miguel Ángel Perera’s faena to his second bull, as I have seen far better from him and it appeared to me that this was a performance the bull had to be nursed through. The initial capework was lovely, the piccing minimal, and there were some fine passses with the hand kept low, but there were also enganches and Perera seemed bothered by one of his legs, rubbing it frequently. Apparently, he had only lost an oreja with the sword on his opening enemigo.

I missed the best of Joselito Adame, who reportedly passed his opening bañuelos well and then lost an award with two attempts to kill recibiendo. His estocada was the highlight of his performance with his second bull, which otherwise never really took off. There was a desarme and eventually the bull preferred the tablas to charging at a muleta. The Mexican’s run of triumphs with this ganadería, which he had made great play of in advance of this festejo, ended here.