Román Collado Gouinguenet, born in Valencia 33 years ago, a smiling, brave and always dedicated bullfighter, belonging to the middle ranks of the bullfighting ladder —last year he only fought 14 bullfights— and forced to announce himself with the toughest corridas due to his own bullfighting conditions, has fulfilled the dream of his life this afternoon: to be carried out on shoulders through the Puerta Grande of Madrid in the middle of the San Isidro Fair, the highest distinction that all those who dress in lights fantasize about.
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And he did it for his performance with one of the bulls of the fair, from the Victorino Martín ranch, named Gallarete, weighing 542 kilos, which came with alacrity and pushed the picador’s horse, where the picador took care of it and prevented it from demonstrating its bravery. It galloped during the banderillas, and arrived at the muleta with a defiant gaze and an untamed heart, eager to fight, overflowing with caste and greed, tirelessly repeating, vibrant, combative and demanding.
Come on, a real bull for a heroic bullfighter, very prepared and willing to give his life for the cause of the Puerta Grande. That was Román, who endured with admirable stoicism the natural strength of his opponent, the speed of his charges and the contagious emotion of his character. He fought it with the muleta as best he knew with both hands, with passes not always excellent due to the animal’s abruptness. He shone with the muleta without a sword with his right hand in two series full of length and flavor, and killed it with a great sword thrust in the “suerte de recibir”. Gallarete went to die in the center of the ring, which added emotion to the experience.
Román’s performance was not an honors grade; imperfect, of course, but the subject and the examining tribunal were indeed most demanding. It will not be easy to be in front of such a bull better than the young Valencian bullfighter has been. His total dedication, his honor, and his physical and mental challenge against a bull that threatened to ruin his career have deservedly granted him the great prize of the Puerta Grande.
The rest of the bullfight had little history. Román himself found it difficult to lift the spirits of the stands before the sixth bull, a bull as noble as it was dull, but with long and sharp horns that surely were the reason he did not perform the supreme act with the expected gallantry.
And his fellow bullfighters on the bill disappointed.
Morenito de Aranda really tried with his two bulls, but nothing went as he expected. Some detail of quality —a couple of “naturales”— with his first in a disjointed performance, and deflated in the fourth, going from more to less, which charged with its head at half height and did not allow him any confidence.
Fernando Adrián heard whistles for the first time since he made his entrance in this arena. And the reason is that his first bull charged again and again with enough quality for a more solvent performance, undoubtedly, than the bullfighter applied. His problem is that he fights very opportunistically, without order, and his muleta passes, rather, emerge without depth and very superficial. Adrián did not find the rhythm of the performance, and the time he spent in front of the bull was so diluted that it showed his shortcomings and annoyed the audience. The fifth bull was of less quality. He began his performance high and it seemed that… until he wanted to lower his hand and the shortcomings of a bullfighting style that, in general, says nothing, returned.
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The undisputed winner was Román, on shoulders with his peculiar smile, with more reason than ever.
Martín/Morenito, Adrián, Román
Bulls from Victorino Martín, well-presented and sharp-horned. First, compliant at the horse, noble, with a short charge and dull; second, cowardly and uneven with the muleta; third, boastful, well-bred, vibrant and demanding, and was dismissed with a great ovation; fourth, good in the picador’s tercio, noble and humble in the final tercio; fifth, just in presence, uneven in the picador’s tercio, noble and dull, and the sixth, compliant at the horse, noble and with its head at half height with the muleta. In summary, an uneven, noble and un-caste bullfight with the exception of the aforementioned third.
Morenito de Aranda: very deep half-sword -warning- and two descabellos (silence); low sword thrust -warning- (silence).
Fernando Adrián: sword thrust (whistles); failed sword thrust, cross sword thrust -warning- and three descabellos (silence).
Román: great sword thrust in the “suerte de recibir” (two ears): five failed sword thrusts and one descabello (silence). He was carried out on shoulders through the Puerta Grande.
Las Ventas Bullring. June 6. Twenty-sixth bullfight of the San Isidro Fair. Full house of ‘no tickets’ (22,964 spectators, according to the company).
