Hooray! Protests in La Maestranza

Finally. It was about time. Finally, this afternoon there were protests at La Maestranza. It happened at the exit of Victorino Martín’s fifth bull, which took several minutes to step onto the ring while its bullfighter, Manuel Escribano, waited for it on his knees in the center. But as soon as the bullpen gate was glimpsed, many spectators expressed their displeasure, and it was no wonder. Mirandés, as it was called, weighing 539 kilos according to the board, was an unacceptable young bull for a first-category bullring, scrawny and emaciated, a shameful sardine. The protests grew, intensifying when Escribano insisted on placing the banderillas, which he did nervously and without success, and, finally, when the animal behaved with overwhelming dullness and no class whatsoever with the muleta.

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Protests, yes, but the bull was fought. Responsible parties? The breeder who chose it, the businessman who bought it, and the authority that approved it. But the matter did not escalate. It is not the first unacceptable bull to be fought in this fair, but it is the one that has marked an interesting point.

That said, it must be acknowledged that Victorino Martín’s bull is different, which is not a new statement, but it should not be forgotten. They are animals full of nuances, singular behaviors, sudden changes in character, which disorient, bewilder, and fill spectators with doubts.

They are bulls that require a thesis, and that work demands time, which is precisely what those who dress in lights lack.

It must not be easy at all to understand a victorino; perhaps that is why today’s bullfight lasted an eternity, two hours and three quarters, and turned out to be tiring and heavy.

Unevenly performing in the picador stage —the sixth one pushed best—, complicated in the initial cape passes and generally dull in the final third, although with class in the final moments, as was the case with the first, third, and fourth; the latter was the best of the enclosure, the one with the most quality.

Be that as it may, the bullfight ultimately had a disappointing tone, because that vibrant bull that saves a celebration did not appear, nor were the bullfighters, for various reasons, up to the circumstances.

Borja Jiménez got the best lot, could have cut ears, but the poor use of the sword prevented him. Halfway through the muleta work with his first bull, he managed to take flight and draw two and a half series of good natural passes that tasted like glory and got the band working. Before the fourth, the one with the most class, Jiménez again shone with natural passes in another three deep series, but the missed sword thrusts took away the trophy. And in the last one, well, nothing more, before another noble but dull animal that charged slowly and without any joy.

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Manuel Escribano had worse luck. He received his last two bulls on his knees in the center of the ring and emerged successfully with two long changed passes. He fought with the verónica quickly, placed banderillas only correctly, and took time to adapt to the sticky first bull, for which he drew eight long and beautiful natural passes shortly before going in for the kill. His second bull was difficult, turning in a small space and not allowing confidence, and before the fifth, the protested young bull, the black sheep of a grey bullfight and not just because of its color, he could only manage to kill it amidst the whistles of the crowd.

Disappointing Victorino bullfight. It is a shame that this Mirandés was fought, which should never have been shipped to this bullring, much less approved by the presidential team. And a meaningless one-on-one. There was no competition whatsoever, and another bullfighter was denied an opportunity. The best of the afternoon, the “sold out” sign, the fourth so far in the fair.