The Victorinos that the King saw… and that Urtasun missed

This time the press rush brings together multiple incentives. Above all, the presence of the King in Las Ventas: for fans, it is a satisfaction that we would like to experience more frequently.

Tradition dictates that, in this bullfight, the King is accompanied by a retired matador who tells him the details of the spectacle; in this case, Francisco Rivera Ordóñez, from very illustrious bullfighting dynasties. He has also been accompanied by the Minister of Culture, on whom this Festival depends by law.

It turns out that, in this crazy Spain that we now live in, Bullfighting depends on a Minister who wants to put an end to it. Going down to more concrete terrain: with what face would you have gone to Las Ventas this afternoon? Urtasun, public enemy of the Party? Would you dare to face the spontaneous judgment of more than twenty thousand fans?

If he had done so, given his deep knowledge of Bullfighting, what could Urtasun have said to the King during the bullfight? Logically, the only thing he sees: the sadism and torture of a spectacle that must be suppressed.

If the minister had accompanied the King Oscar Puentehe would have added his subtle opinion, in a Bullring packed with twenty-four thousand enthusiasts: «Your Majesty, it is irrelevant»…

How could this conflict be avoided? With a clever detour: that the Minister who this time accompanies the King is not the Minister of Culture, although he is logical, legal and what he has always been, but rather the Minister of Culture. Agriculture: One more lie.

It could also have been replaced by Tourism, because of the attraction that the Festival represents for so many visitors; or that of Economy, due to its weight in our Gross Domestic Product; or that of Tax authorities, for what it contributes, in terms of VAT; or the Interior, on which Bullfighting depended until the socialist Rubalcaba he transferred it to Culture; or that of Foreign Affairs, because it unites us with France, Portugal and almost all Latin American countries; or any other irrelevance…

Let’s leave the protocol preamble and go to the development of the celebration. The bulls of Victorino Martin They are a permanent promise of encased cattle and an exciting spectacle. This time, we have seen serious bulls, very armed, with breed and with certain difficulties: typical of the brave bull. The second has clearly stood out, Garañuelowith the same name as his brothers, who played excellently in Albacete and Las Ventas, a couple of years ago, and led to the success of Sergio Serrano.

The heads-up is well thought out. Paco Urena and Borja Jimenez, two right-handers very loved by Madrid fans, who offered an exciting show at the last Autumn Fair. This time, neither of them cut the ear: Ureña remains in the request and return, in the third. Borja Jiménez ruins a very firm task with the sword, in the brave second. The worst of the afternoon, the luck of rods and the supreme luck: that’s enough!

The Murcian Paco Urena bullfights with classicism, truth and passion; Sometimes, the latter can somewhat cloud the clarity of her work. The first haggles on the horse but then comes twice more, after thinking about it. It’s not easy, in banderillas. He toasts the King, in his Box (the same thing that Borja will do, in the next one). The bull waits, on the muleta, he is reserved, uncertain: on the third pass, he almost takes him ahead. Cita Ureña with the muleta delayed, the bull demands more command, to anticipate his attack. On the left, he can’t give him even one. He has been brave but has not managed to overcome the difficulties with adequate punishment. He kills without trusting himself and gets stuck with the madness, he is left with two warnings.

Borja Jiménez is, right now, the undisputed emerging figure. On Friday the 31st, with a very fine bull of Santiago Domecq, which would have overwhelmed many bullfighters, carried out a task of absolute dedication and great emotion: he cut off an ear; If he had killed well, it would have been both. That’s the problem I have: going in to kill from afar, not “shortly and straight”, as the canons dictate. That gives time for the bull to raise its head and not let him achieve his luck well. Unfortunately, he did it again, this afternoon. His style, carrying luck and crossing the opposing python, is highly appreciated in Las Ventas.

The second, Garañuelo, a great bull, receives it with good veronicas, carrying his luck. On the horse, the bull pushes but protests and the punishment is measured. In banderillas, the bull cuts a lot: should they have chopped it more? Borja does what needs to be done, at the beginning of a vibrant task: advance the crutch, command, charge the luck. The brave bull responds well, goes long, humiliates, although each series can only have three muleta blows because, by the fourth, the bull is already looming, with danger. Naturally, not a single one is allowed to be given. Borja has fought by uniting head and heart, as it should be. But he makes a mistake by going in to kill from afar. He has lost with the sword the trophy that he had well earned. And he also repeatedly fails with the nonsense.

The third has two “hangers” to hang the clothes of a large family, said the magazine holders. They bite him very behind; the banderilleros do not trust each other. Ureña offers to the public. The bull is not doing badly but Paco does not quite trust himself. When he really gets into it, the bull responds, lands some open right hands. He hasn’t quite seen it clearly but he justifies himself by decisively putting his hand between those “candles” and achieves a quick-effect thrust: warning, request and return. The public has responded lovingly to the effort to kill that bull well.

The fourth sneaks in a bit and Borja gives him the right fight with the cape. It’s a pity that he didn’t finish off the fire hydrant with a stocking, the Plaza would have collapsed! They bite him, blocking his exit, and the public protests, rightly so. The bull falters a little, it’s not bad but he comes out distracted, with his face held high, and that spoils the correct maneuver, in which he has always crossed the opposing bull. The people have not entered into the work. He kills decisively but fallen.

By the fifth, the afternoon has fallen into a certain drowsiness, due to the heat; also, by a very festive public. The resounding blow, with a fierce bull, that everyone wants is missing. Ureña gladly launches into that fifth, poorly dived, blocking the exit, and also poorly flagged. When the right-hander leads the attacks, the bull goes, but comes away distracted. He has to leave the crutch in his face, so that he doesn’t leave, keep it very sewn, rather than looking for aesthetics (although what they applaud the most are two passed out crutches). On the left, the bull goes ahead of him. He kills the third one, defective, and hears a warning again. He’s had just a so-so afternoon.

The general public is somewhat disappointed. Will the last bull save the afternoon for them? He goes to the horse with joy but the picador misses and the people get angry. The bull is sticky, he comes back quickly, he gets hit too many times. In the muleta, at the exit of each pass, the bull searches, with danger. Borja tries but cannot overcome the complications of the bull, which lays down after a faulty puncture.

With the King in the Plaza, how could fervent patriotic cries not be heard this afternoon? Also some, mentioning Puigdemontand a neighbor has corrected him: “Let’s remember that on Sunday, when voting.”

There have been no trophies and a festive public has regretted it. The worst thing is that the bullfight has gone less: the opposite of what is desirable. But we have seen serious bulls, good work by Borja Jiménez and aesthetic details by Paco Ureña. And my keen intuition assures me that this afternoon, in Las Ventas, no one has missed Minister Urtasun…

Postscript

The Spanish monarchy has always been linked to bulls. (A chapter in the book of Juan Manuel Albendea From the Maestranza). Within the royal family, Doña Mercedes was a great fan of bullfighting: the statue of her, on horseback, is at the door of the Plaza de Sevilla. She has also really liked going to Las Ventas, on the bullring plateau, to Don Juan Carlos and has inherited Infanta Elena’s hobby.

In an event, at the Royal Spanish Academy, José María Álvarez del Manzano and I told him King Felipe VI the desire and hope of many fans to see him go more to the bulls, such a Spanish Festival. With complete clarity he told us and repeated to us that he had absolutely nothing against bulls, his only problem was that he didn’t understand much. I dared to answer that this also happens to many other Spaniards; The solution – in your case, very easy – is for someone, more expert, to accompany you. (Our beloved perpetual Mayor of Madrid is a witness to that, he told us). This is what happened this afternoon and all the fans were grateful.