Román Collado Gouinguenet, born in Valencia 33 years ago, a smiling, brave and always dedicated bullfighter, belonging to the middle zone of the ranking – last year he only fought 14 celebrations – and forced to announce himself with the toughest bullfights due to his own bullfighting conditions, has fulfilled this afternoon the dream of his life: to go out on his shoulders through the Puerta Grande of Madrid in the middle of the San Isidro Fair, the highest distinction with which everyone who dresses fantasizes of lights.
And he has done it for his work to one of the bulls at the fair, the iron of Victorino Martín, named Pennant, weighing 542 kilos, who came quickly and pushed the chopping horse, where the varilarguero took care of him and prevented him from demonstrating his bravery. He galloped in banderillas, and arrived at the muleta with a defiant look and an indomitable heart, eager to fight, overflowing with caste and greed, a tireless repeater, vibrant, combative and demanding.
Come on, a real bull for a heroic bullfighter, very prepared and willing to give his life to the cause of the Puerta Grande. That was Román, who endured with admirable stoicism the natural strength of his opponent, the speed of his attacks and the contagious emotion of his character. He crutched it as best he knew how with both hands with crutches that were not always excellent due to the abruptness of the animal. He excelled with the muleta without a sword with his right in two rounds full of length and flavor, and he killed him with a great thrust in the luck of receiving. Pennant He went to die in the media, which added emotion to what he experienced.
Román’s task was not an honorable one; imperfect, of course, but the subject and the examining board were very demanding. It will not be easy to be in front of a bull like this better than the young Valencian bullfighter has been. His total dedication, his pride and his physical and mental challenge against a bull that threatened to ruin his career have deservedly awarded him the grand prize of the Puerta Grande.
The rest of the celebration has had little history. Román himself had a hard time raising the spirits of those lying before the sixth, a bull as noble as it was bland, but with long, thin pitons that were surely the reason why he did not achieve the supreme luck with the expected gallantry.
And their fellow posters disappointed.
Morenito de Aranda really tried with his two bulls, but nothing turned out as he expected. Some detail of quality – a couple of natural ones – at first in a disjointed and deflated move in the fourth, from more to less, which he attacked with his face at half height and which did not allow him any confidence.
Fernando Adrián heard whistles for the first time since he took the stroll in this square. And the reason is that his first bull charged again and again with sufficient quality for a more reliable job, without a doubt, than the one the bullfighter applied to him. His problem is that he bullfights very advantageously, without order, and his muletazos, rather passes, appear bottomless and very superficial. Adrián did not get the rhythm of the task right, and the time he spent in the face of the bull was so diluted that he showed his shortcomings and bothered the respectable person. The fifth was of lesser quality. He started his task high and it seemed like… until he wanted to lower his hand and the shortcomings of a bullfight that, generally, says nothing, returned.
The undisputed winner was Román, on his shoulders with his peculiar smile, with more reason than ever.
Martín/Morenito, Adrián, Román
Bulls of Victorino Martinwell presented and attractive. First, dutiful on the horse, noble, short-trip and dull; second, meek and unequal in the crutch; third, blustery, assertive, vibrant and demanding, and was fired with a standing ovation; fourth, good in rods, noble and humiliating in the final third; fifth, fair of rags, unequal in staves, noble and dull, and the sixth, dutiful on the horse, noble and with his face halfway up on the crutch. In short, an unequal, noble and outcast bullfight except for the aforementioned third.
Morenito de Aranda: very stretched stocking -warning- and two crazy things (silence); downturn -warning- (silence).
Fernando Adrian: lunge (whistles); puncture, thrust through – warning – and three crazy things (silence).
Romanian: great thrust in the luck of receiving (two ears): five punctures and a madness (silence). He left on his shoulders through the Great Gate.
Las Ventas bullring. June 6. Twenty-sixth celebration of the San Isidro Fair. Full of ‘no tickets’ (22,964 spectators, according to the company).