April Fair: Cheers! Protests in La Maestranza | Culture

At last. It was time. Finally, this afternoon there were protests in La Maestranza. It happened at the exit of Victorino Martín’s fifth bull, which took several minutes to enter the ring while his bullfighter, Manuel Escribano, waited for him on his knees in the middle. But it was a glimpse of the bullpen gate, and many spectators expressed their displeasure, and it was no wonder. Mirandeswhich was his name, weighing 539 kilos according to the tablet, he was an unpresentable bull for a first-class position, skinny and drained, a shameful sardine. The protests grew worse, they intensified when Escribano insisted on flagging him, which he did nervously and without success, and, in the end, when the animal behaved with overwhelming calmness and without any class on the muleta.

Protests, yes, but the bull was fought. Responsible? The rancher who chose it, the businessman who bought it and the authority that approved it. But the matter did not go any further. It is not the first unpresentable bull that has been fought at this fair, but it is the one that has made an interesting point.

That said, we must recognize 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, unique behaviors, sudden changes in character, which disorient, disconcert and fill the spectators with doubts.

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

It must not be easy to understand a victorino; Maybe that’s why today’s run lasted an eternity, two and three-quarter hours, and it turned out to be tiring and heavy.

They performed unevenly on poles – the one who pushed the best was the sixth -, complicated in the initial hits and dull in general in the last third, although with class in the final moments, as were the cases of the first, third and fourth; The latter was the best of the bull run, the one with the highest quality.

Be that as it may, the bullfight finally 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 task.

Borja Jiménez took the best lot, he was able to cut off ears, but the misuse of the sword prevented him from doing so. Halfway through the task of crutching his first, he managed to take flight and draw two and a half batches of good naturals that tasted like glory and put the band to work. Against the fourth, the classiest, Jiménez once again excelled naturally in three other very deep rounds, but punctures took the trophy. And in the last one, well, without further ado, before another noble but dull animal that charged at pace and without any joy.

Manuel Escribano had worse luck. He received his last two bulls on his knees in the middle of the plaza and emerged victorious with long changed paths. He bullfighted Veronica quickly, nailed banderillas only correctly, and took a while to get along with the first sticky one, whom he drew eight long and beautiful naturals shortly before going in to kill. His second was difficult, as he scrambled over a span of land and did not allow confidence, and before the fifth, the protested steer, the black sheep of a crimson bullfight and not only because of its color, he could only limit himself to killing it between the whistles of the respectable.

Disappointing victory. It’s a shame that this was dealt with. Mirandes that should never have been shipped for this position, much less approved by the presidential team. And a meaningless heads-up. There was no competition and another bullfighter was denied an opportunity. The best of the afternoon, the “no tickets” sign, the fourth so far in the fair.