Madrid, May 10: Presidential inconsistencies

The looks on the faces of David Galván and his cuadrilla after the death of today’s second bull, said it all - “What does it take to cut an ear in Las Ventas?” Faced with the most toreable of today’s El Pilar bulls, David had made the best of it. His capework (verónicas) had perhaps been overshadowed by Víctor Hernández’s quite of saltilleras and a revolera, but Galván’s faena was very good indeed, with series of close derechazos and naturales and chest passes, the matador standing erect, with two pases cambiados de espalda thrown in for good measure. He could be criticised for allowing the faena to go on too long (contributing to the two avisos that sounded), the passes roughening as a consequence, but the closing manoletinas were excellent and the estocada good and effective and the petition for an ear clearly a majority one except, perhaps, in Tendido 7. Today’s president, Ignacio Sanjuán Rodríguez, decided to set the regulations to one side and failed to produce a handkerchief, receiving pitos after Galván’s inferior vuelta al ruedo had ended.

Víctor Hernández made a statement in a quite to Galván’s first bull, then fought bravely to win an ear off the next

However, on the next bull, a true alimaña, an ear was awarded. Víctor Hernández’s opponent showed its facility for turning quickly in the one verónica it was given, then Hernández had the capote snatched from him as he took the animal to the picador and had to run for it. The piccing (three varas) was poor, the banderillas panicky. Come the faena, the bull continued to turn quickly after passes, searching for the matador. Yet Hernández, determined to make an impression, stuck with his task, bringing off derechazos and then naturales, keeping the cloth in the left hand for the bulk of the faena. This was brave but scary stuff, Víctor crossing to achieve passes and getting away with them despite several close shaves and a couple of desarmes. He killed well, and a similar sized petition as on Galván’s earlier bull followed, the noise increasing as the mules reached the dead toro. This time, Señor Rodríguez, perhaps concerned about the possibility of a second bronca, opted to give way and show his pañuelo.

David Galván failed to impress the president on either of his bulls

Galván’s second bull was weak-legged and substituted by a reasonable animal from Castillejo de Huebra. He caped it to the middle of the ring and promptly lost it. In the faena, David moved early to the left hand and produced series of naturales and then derechazos despite the bull not lowering its head in passes. Once again, there was a decent estocada, and once again there was a petition for an ear, not quite as strong as the one on his first bull. The president ignored it once more and a clearly dejected Galván - he needed a good result today after hearing six avisos at Zaragoza and having a fruitless Sevilla afternoon - took a further vuelta despite the pitos from 7.

Would Víctor Hernández secure a Puerta Grande exit that would be Las Ventas’s second in two days? His El Pilar bull was also devuelto and replaced with a Villamarta sobrero, which was given some varied opening capework and subjected to two heavy puyazos. After a brindis to his subalterno, Yelco Álvarez, Víctor was calm and brave in the faena once again, beginning with estatuarios and suffering another desarme, but extracting derechazos and naturales from another difficult animal. A second ear was on the cards, but, following some closing bernadinas, three pinchazos and a bajonazo put paid to that, Hernández receiving an aviso and taking saludos. The main gate had not been achieved, but a strong impression had been made. Rosario Pérez, for example, in the next day’s ABC, compared the youngster favourably to José Tomás and argued it was time the empresas opened up their carteles to younger matadors.

Diego Urdiales had a troublesome time

The oldest matador on today’s programme, 49-year-old Diego Urdiales, had no cause to put himself out like Galván and Hernández. He just about kept ahead of his first El Pilar bull in the initial capework, then found the wind just as troublesome in the faena, receving silence (the bull, pitos) after a metisaca, estocada and descabello. His other bull was heavily picced but proved defensive in the faena, carried out at the wind’s height. Diego soon opted for a faena de aliño and killed well, with the same outcomes as before.