Santander, July 18: Why every major feria should have a novillada

Álvaro Serrano - triunfador of the Santander feria’s novillada

You often hear of the difficulties of putting on novilladas con picadores these days, but Santander’s feria and aficionados have long stayed true to the idea that every major feria should feature at least one such event. Today’s novillada of Montealto bulls for two San Isidro triunfadores - Álvaro Serrano and Julio Norte - and the upcoming Mexican Ignacio Garibay saw well over half the seats in the Plaza de Cuatro Caminos taken.

Why should more novilladas con picadores be put on? Most importantly, because toreo relies on a stream of new talent, and such novilladas are part of the process of giving novilleros valuable experience of facing both novillos and bullfight spectators. But also because - as today’s novillada exemplified - these events bring new faces in front of the public, frequently contain more variety than the average corrida, and provide an opportunity for those with limited pockets to attend bullfights or bring other family members along with them too.

Although I’d seen him in streamed festejos before, I was surprised by how short Álvaro Serrano is (the youngster is now managed by another short torero, Alberto Aguilar). But, boy, does this lad know how to torear. He also possesses an encyclopaedic knowledge of what can be achieved capote in hand. He met his first montealto from on his knees, stood for some fine verónicas, had his cape ripped in a closing media, then took his novillo to the picador with walking chicuelinas and finished with a quite of chicuelinas and caleserinas! In the faena, he produced very good derechazos, only to be tossed when he moved to the left hand. Apart from a closing cambio de mano, he stayed on the right thereafter. His blade may have hit a banderilla in an initial pinchazo, hearing an aviso, but the second estocada was sure and the awarded ear merited. The novillo was applauded en arrastre.

Álvaro Serrano showed varied capework…

… suffered a tossing…

… and impressed in both his faenas

After the reliable nature of that animal, Serrano’s second novillo emerged distraido. Álvaro produced a lovely quite of navarras and a closing larga, and it was a shame that today’s single pics prevented any competition en quites. After dedicating to the public, Serrano manufactured a fine faena of classic passes, the derechazos again being best as the novillo would not lower its head on left-handed muletazos. The young madrileño should have ended the faena sooner than he did, but the estocada did its work and another ear and Santander’s Puerta Grande were his.

Like Serrano, Julio Norte came with a high reputation to uphold and did not disappoint despite the quality of his opponents leaving something to be desired. His first novillo looked splendid, Julio having a narrow escape when he attempted series of capotazos from on his knees before moving on to feet-together verónicas and chicuelinas, but, come the faena, the animal was weak-footed and lacking in strength. The young salmantino began the faena roughly from on his knees, but things improved with standing and templados derechazos and naturales, Norte stretching forward with the cloth held low at the start of tandas. A closing sequence of circulares invertidos and arrimón, followed by mondeñinas, confirmed an ear would come his way if he killed well, which he did, the novillo embarking on a long death.

Julio Norte greets his first novillo (above) and (below) engages his second novillo in its querencia to bring off excellent muletazos

The likelihood was that Norte would have accompanied Serrano through the Puerta Grande if he’d had a half-decent second novillo. Unfortunately, his second animal was anything but, taking up a querencia beside the barrera en banderillas and refusing to budge from it in the faena. Norte still opted to face it on his knees and, once again, nearly paid a high price for doing so. Although he persisted in toreando the bull in its querencia, there were two pinchazos, a half sword and two descabellos before the novillo fell to the ground. The animal was whistled en arrastre while Norte heard silence.

The third espada, new to picadors and still managed by Madrid’s escuela taurina, was the Mexican Ignacio Garibay, his father of the same name and a former matador himself, looking on from the callejón. Garibay’s banderillero Miguel Ángel Aiello lost his balance leaving the first pair of sticks and was rolled on the ground by the bull, but recovered for an excellent second pair. Come the faena, the novillo was sin fuerza and falling, and, although his passes were templados, Garibay attempted suertes like circulares that the bull was simply unfit for. The Mexican collected the estoque at the crowd’s request and killed well. There were pitos en arrastre, while Garibay was accorded silence (well, singing).

Ignacio Garibay is in his early days as a novillero con picadores and will doubtless learn from the experience

Garibay met his second novillo with a variety of lances, an initial one a portagayola included, but couldn’t retain the bull’s attention on the cloth and had his capote ripped leading the animal to the picador. There was no quite and the tercio de banderillas was chaotic, even Fernando Sánchez Martín having a poor afternoon. However, things improved in the faena, Ignacio managing some decent series before the bull worsened and nearly caught him in manoletinas. At the end, I joined a minority petition, but the tall Mexican’s combination of pinchazo and estocada had cost him the ear.

This had been a typical Santander novillada, full of interest despite the varied qualities of the novillos. If only more ferias followed the Santander example.