At the end of the last bullfight of San Fermín, José María Marco, president of the Bullfighting Commission of the Casa de Misericordia (Meca), assured Onetoro that the Bull Fair had been an economic success and that the profits would serve to balance the always difficult budget of the residence that houses 537 elderly people.
This is the main objective of the bull in Pamplona, and a satisfactory result is the best news of this international festival that revolves around this animal, and whose responsibility falls on Mecca from the moment it arrives in the city until its flesh ends up in the kitchen.
The daily full houses at the bullring ensure the survival of this charitable institution and consolidate, year after year, the importance of bullfighting and the running of the bulls as fundamental bases of this multitudinous celebration.
But, of course, beyond the important economic aspect, the Bull Fair has a more than evident bullfighting relevance that deserves a brief reflection on its own.
The bull is the absolute protagonist of San Fermín, and bullfighting is a necessary extra
It is not a new assertion that the San Fermin Fair revolves around the bull, but not around bullfighting. The bull is the absolute protagonist, but bullfighting is a secondary figure, although also necessary, for the moment. What happens in the Pamplona ring is not generally related to the basic rules of bullfighting that demand and reward authenticity. In essence, it is nothing more than an excuse for revelry.
The fact that a member of the governing team of the City Council presides over the bullfight every afternoon gives an idea of the bullfighting concept of the Navarrese Community.
In the square, the sunny stands rule, occupied by the 16 Sanfermin groups, who come armed with food and drink to accompany the dancing and singing during two hours of fun in which the bull and the bullfighter play little role.
But the groups decide trophies and triumphs based on the noisy connection established between the ring and the stands and regardless of the quality of what happens. They highly value everything that is done on the knees, with a cape or a muleta, it doesn’t matter, with right-handed passes or high passes, it’s the same; and points are awarded for manoletinas, bernadinas and desplantes; and above all, that the bullfight takes place near the sunbathing area, that the bullfighter establishes a dialogue with the spectators, even if many of them have their backs to the ring, busy with other fun, and that the bull dies quickly – the most important thing -, it doesn’t matter if it’s from a stab in the hole of the needles or a shameless blow to the ribs.
The shadow, silent and alone, is there but not noticed.
The bulls bought by the Casa de Misericordia -very conservative in terms of livestock, as they hire practically the same ones every year- usually stand out for their build and rigging, although this fair has seen some specimens -as was the case with the Domingo Hernández bullfight- that are unpresentable for the San Fermin tradition. The Fuente Ymbro brand has deservedly been awarded the ‘Feria del Toro’ trophy for the six most complete specimens of the cycle, although they did not stand out in the bullfighting.
It is also striking that the vast majority of the bulls fought have been tame in the horses, which reinforces the theory that breeders are increasingly selecting for the muleta work to the detriment of the first third.
The bulls from La Palmosilla were lackluster and lackluster, with the exception of the first; those from Cebada Gago were rough; the bulls from Victoriano del Río were greedy, noble and with just enough strength; those from Fuente Ymbro were strong; those from Domingo Hernández were crippled; four bulls from Jandilla stood out for their class; and those from José Escolar were difficult, just like the Miura bullfight.
The matadors have cut 22 ears: five, Roca Rey in two afternoons; three, Jesús E. Colombo; two each Borja Jiménez, Emilio de Justo, Tomás Rufo, and one each Fernando Adrián, Román, Ginés Marín, Miguel Ángel Perera, Pablo Aguado, Juan de Castilla and Rafaelillo. To these trophies must be added the two ears each cut by Pablo and Guillermo de Mendoza on the day of the emotional farewell to their father, and the unexpected downpour that fell on the afternoon of July 5th took away the hopes of the novilleros Jarocho, Alejandro Chicharro and Samuel Navalón. The first two were only able to fight one bull, and the third swordsman returned to the hotel soaked but without the possibility of giving a single pass.
Roca Rey, undisputed winner of the cycle, together with Pablo Aguado, author of the best bullfighting with natural passes
Above all the bullfighters who carried a trophy, Roca Rey stands out, the true owner and lord of the bullfighting sceptre for his courage, his dedication and his unbridled search for triumph; the best bullfighting came from the left wrist of Pablo Aguado, and Borja Jiménez, who suffered a serious goring when he went to kill the bull that he cut off the ears, and Emilio de Justo, who cut off the two ears of Campanilla, a gentle, noble and cast bull from Victoriano del Río, which has been recognised with the Carriquiri Trophy for the bravest bull, which was not, at least in the horse. Good performances were also given by Tomás Rufo, Perera and Juan de Castilla.
All the bullfighters on the scene abused the patience of those present with excessively long performances and there were far fewer warnings than the clock indicated; and a total of 13 matadors used bullfighting on their knees at different times and in different ways to liven up the stands in the Solanera.
The best news is the economic success of the cycle, from which the Casa de Misericordia benefits.
In terms of bullfighting, the same cannot be said. Since the San Fermin bullfights have been televised, fans know first-hand that in Pamplona not everything that glitters is gold, as is the case with bullfighting in America.
There is always a better opinion of what one does not know.