Fuenlabrada, September 15: Six escolares and Fernando Robleño
Given that José Escolar Gil was born in Fuenlabrada, as was his son-in-law, the former matador El Fundi, it was perhaps unsurprising that the ganadería should furnish six superb-looking bulls for the town’s September corrida, despite the setting being a (packed) plaza portátil. With his Madrid corrida de despedida now just days away, Fernando Robleño appeared in a red-and-azabache traje with green accessories and a gold waistcoat - a combination that looked magnificent in today’s strong sun.
The first escolar with (below) Robleño in a natural
The first huge-horned escolar drew gasps and applause as it came into the ring - not quite up to yesterday’s standards of presentation at Las Ventas, but not far off it. Robleño soon discovered its suitability for fine toreo in some persuasive opening verónicas and a media; restricted its time with the picador to a single vara; and produced a great faena of derechazos (some with a relaxed stance), naturales and pases de pecho. The bull’s two ears looked spoken for, only for the swordwork to take the form of four pinchazos and a one-third estocada. The bull was taken out to applause, while Robleño took saludos to an ovation.
The second escolar with (below) Morenito de Aranda in a chest pass
The second escolar was a weighty-looking beast. Morenito de Aranda gave it some unattractive, legs splayed, verónicas and a media before it went to the horse and received two formidable pairs of banderillas from Iván García. The other banderillero, Pascual Mellinas, fell leaving his suerte and was rescued from the bull’s attentions by a quite from Fernando Robleño. Morenito took the bull to the centre of the arena for the faena, managed some isolated passes of note, but never looked particularly comfortable before despatching it with two pinchazos and an estocada. The bull was taken out to applause, with an ovation and saludos for its matador.
The third escolar with (below) Javier Cortés in a natural
The third escolar was more like the opening animal in appearance and received two varas after Javier Cortés had met it with some brief capotazos. The faena was brief too, Javier’s confidence not helped by the bull cutting in on him in two early and consecutive derechazos. After a good estocada and a strikingly effective descabello, this bull was removed to silence while Cortés took saludos.
The fourth escolar (below) in a derechazo with Fernando Robleño
Fernando Robleño’s second faena was very different from his first, this one demonstrating the matador’s abilities to risk himself in drawing a faena from a more challenging foe. After some fine opening verónicas, the remainder of the tercio was limited to a single vara. The faena was begun with doblones before Fernando set about extracting muletazos from his opponent. The swordwork was better this time, but not as effective as the matador hoped, plus the bull’s bravura meant that it arose three times during a lengthy dying (avisos appeared to be absent today). A minority petition followed nevertheless, and Robleño circled the ring after his bull had left to applause.
The fifth escolar and (below) its goring of José Luis Triviño
The fifth escolar, given two varas (the second from some distance), was another superb-looking animal with spectacular armoury, one of its horns delivering a cornada to the right leg of José Luis Triviño after he’d placed the first pair of banderillas. The banderillero was quickly carried out of the plaza and off to hospital. The bull proved dangerous in the faena, not lowering its head and halting mid-charge, and Morenito de Aranda soon opted to despatch it, managing four pinchazos and an estocada in the process. Both the bull and the torero received silence.
The sixth escolar (below) in a chest pass with Javier Cortés
In contrast to the preceding lidia, Javier Cortés gave some stirring verónicas and a closing media with the feet together to the final, wide-horned, escolar. This animal was sent to the picador three times, but Javier’s faena never really took off. An awful stab in the bull’s side was followed by a media estocada and three descabellos, a fascinating corrida coming to an end in further silence for man and bull.