Unrewarded disposition for the novice bullfighters

The unspirited condition of Antonio Palla’s young bulls, which did not fall but lacked class with the exception of the fourth, thwarted the evident disposition for triumph of El Mella, Cid de María, and Tomás Bastos, a trio made up of three capable novilleros who shared three ovations with salutes, one per torero. El Mella opened the bullfight facing a young bull by age and a bull by presence. Antonio Palla’s bull went back and forth without engaging either the picador’s padded armor or the capes; poking and at mid-height. It allowed more on the right side while inertia pushed it, and El Mella was solvent and firm, though without continuity in the isolated flashes he protagonized. In the fourth, he came out determined for triumph, starting on his knees both the cape reception —a verónica— and the muleta work, with a pass changed behind the back and continuing with a linked and emotional series on the right horn still on his knees. However, the faena deflated after the third series at the same time as the initial classy depth of the harmonious utrero did, with which El Mella had to attack with the descabello up to four times.

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The second bull left its spirit in two lively charges at the horse ridden by the applauded picador Javier Díaz. Afterwards, the young bull, offensive and low-horned, wanted more than it could, charging with jumps and poking the muleta handled with composure by Cid de María, who persisted with determination but without possible brilliance.

The fifth bull went to the picador’s padded armor three times, although only after the third did blood appear on its neck. The slight punishment did not help Palla’s bull to engage in the final third, leaving Cid de María’s disposition far above the condition of his antagonist, whom he dispatched on the second attempt.

Tomás Bastos showed that he is in the epilogue of his stage as a novillero with picadors, a rank that is already too small for him. His first appearance was in a chicuelina cape pass to the second bull, and his faena to the third, without being triumphant, had the merit of extracting deep passes from both horns from a dull charge, which as soon as it overflowed, it would also scrape, looking for the Portuguese bullfighter’s body. And all this, like the entire afternoon, with the wind making an annoying appearance. Furthermore, he sealed his serious performance with a forceful sword thrust on the first attempt, receiving a deserved ovation.

In the bull that closed the event, as the lackluster young bull named Aviador was being dragged away, the ‘portagayola’ reception and the commitment with which Bastos faced the fight against an opponent that allowed something on the right side and was ‘hunting flies’ on the left, had faded from memory. People already wanted to go home. And that’s despite the event “only” lasting two hours and twenty minutes.