David de Miranda, very bullfighter-like, through the Prince’s Gate

La Maestranza experienced a truly exciting afternoon thanks to bulls from El Parralejo, well-presented, three of them brave with the horses, and showing great class with the muleta; and thanks to a bullfighter, David de Miranda, in a state of grace and beloved in this arena, who offered a very complete afternoon, based on stillness, composure, fluidity, and good taste.

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He cut three ears and deservedly exited on shoulders through the Puerta del Príncipe, just as he did in last year’s Seville fair and with bulls from the same ranch.

An exceptional bull, named Secretario, with black coat and weighing 562 kilos, undoubtedly contributed to that triumph. The bullfighter received him with a hint of verónicas and a handful of tight delantales. The animal knocked down the horse with a crash, slammed it with spirit against the boards on the first entry, and pushed with vigor on the second. He performed well in the tercio de banderillas, and arrived at the muleta with truly astonishing quality, steadiness, promptness, and class.

De Miranda had a very bullfighting-like start, first with a knee on the ground, then a trincherazo and a long muletazo that were the prelude to an artistic and vibrant understanding between bull and bullfighter. He approached the faena with great truth, never losing face, with short sequences in all the series, but full of depth and feeling. There were naturales with the muleta dragged across the albero, overflowing with beauty, and another, later, supernatural, a prodigy of composure. The arena vibrated as on unforgettable afternoons, aware that a unique moment was being experienced, authentic bullfighting, between a heroic and artistic bullfighter and a brave bull. There were changes of hands, other naturales with feet together, and a sword thrust to the hilt that was the best culmination of the combined work. The bull died in the center, offering a beautiful and infrequent spectacle. The animal deserved the honors of a lap of honor, and De Miranda paraded the two well-deserved ears, although many supporters also requested the rabo.

Another trophy was needed to exit through the longed-for gate of glory. The sixth was a manso with the horse, and noble, not without quality in the final tercio. It was difficult for his lidiador for the work to reach the desired flight. There were long and well-executed muletazos, but accelerated and with a patina of superficiality. He had started with tight estatuarios, and finished with mondeñinas adjusted to his anatomy, which, together with a detached estocada, offered him the dreamed-of passport. Without a doubt, today was David de Miranda’s day, cheered on by the public all afternoon.

There were two more brave bulls, the fifth, Emilio de Justo’s second, which faded very quickly and displayed insipid behavior; and the first, a well-bred bull, very demanding and with the roughness inherent to its condition. Urdiales tried, but could not tame the impetus of his opponent, who commanded great respect and overwhelmed the bullfighter. Urdiales did, however, achieve some flashes of his high conception of bullfighting, but it was not enough to live up to Chismoso, who sold his life very dearly.

The fourth was more tempered and benevolent, manso at the piquero, and very noble with the muleta. There were more artistic touches than in the previous one, the music played, but there was no passion, nor did the bullfighter break with the bull.

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And another manso was the third, De Justo’s first, with which De Miranda dazzled with a tight quite por gaoneras, and Antonio Chacón was forced to salute after an extraordinary first pair of banderillas. However, the animal lasted much less than desired. It repeated in the first two series, well-executed by the diestro with the right hand, and then faded. In the end, the worst lot went to the bullfighter from Extremadura, and the best, to David de Miranda from Huelva, who looks at the horizon of his season with well-founded hope.