The stars of San Isidro’s first week
‘Brigadier’ charges into the picador, Madrid May 14 (image from Plaza1)
Alejandro Talavante left through the Puerta Grande of Las Ventas and Víctor Hernández, Aarón Palacio and Isaac Fonseca all won single ears, but the stars of San Isidro’s first week were arguably two bulls - ‘Brigadier’ of Pedraza de Yeltes and ‘Frenoso’ of Victoriano del Río. Both bulls were of Domecq lineage, but their morphology and circumstances were quite different.
Pedraza de Yeltes is a relatively young ganadería, its first complete corrida de toros having taken place at Azpeitia in 2011. That corrida was indicative of what was to follow - large, powerful bulls, keen to the horse but preserving their strength throughout their lidia and posing a real challenge for their matadors. Five of the bulls were applauded en arrastre, with one being given a vuelta al ruedo, the ranch’s representante, ex-matador José Ignacio Sánchez, and owner, Luis Uranga Otaegui, receiving the public’s congratulations at the corrida’s end. Following several more successful afternoons at Azpeitia, the ganadería became a favourite attraction in France, where most of its corridas continue to take place. Dax has been a particularly favoured spot, with historic Pedraza corridas in 2014 (when ‘Miralto’ took four pics from Tito Sandoval and was given a vuelta en arrastre and Diego Urdiales cut two ears from ‘Bello’) and in 2017 (when Rafaelillo, Daniel Luque and the mayoral were carried out on shoulders, two bulls - ‘Bello’ and ‘Brigadier’ - being given vueltas en arrastre). Mont de Marsan has also seen memorable corridas in 2021 and 2022, in each of which two pedrazas have been given the blue handkerchief.
A typical Pedraza de Yeltes bull
The Pedraza herd, based at Castraz de Yeltes (Salamanca), is a relatively small one, fielding just five corridas (all in France) and nine novillos last year. It was formed with cattle from El Pilar (of Juan Pedro Domecq y Díez and Aldeanueva lineage) and has been bred to provide spectacle in all three tercios. “We look for a bull that pleases us and will therefore be pleasing for the afición,” José Ignacio Sánchez has said, “A bull with personality, that requires a real professional to face it, is brave in the three tercios and wants to catch the lure low down.”
Carrying 667 kilos, little was expected of ‘Brigadier’ at Las Ventas on May 14. José Ignacio Sánchez commented after the corrida, “Yes, the truth is you need a Ferrari engine to move that [kind of weight]. We’ve always selected in that line, giving a lot of importance to the tercio de varas and looking for that class, that flexibility, and that personality. We want and seek that type of niche in the Fiesta - different from the other ganaderías. Each person has to try to contribute their grain of sand to the spectacle, and we’ve always sought this type of animal from the very first minute the herd was created. I believe we have managed to consolidate Pedraza de Yeltes and given it that personal stamp.”
In a spectacular tercio de varas, ‘Brigadier’ went to the picador three times, the last from near the centre of Las Ventas, and also showed well in an excellent tercio de banderillas from Juan Carlos Rey and Tito. Isaac Fonseca, dwarfed by the bull, began the faena with ‘Brigadier’ on his knees, then brought off strong passes, particularly derechazos, with ‘Brigadier’ humillando in the muleta. When Fonseca cited for the estocada (he needed two attempts), ‘Brigadier’’s mouth was still shut, and the bull was given a fully deserved vuelta al ruedo and Fonseca one of its ears.
Fernando Adrián with ‘Frenoso’, Madrid May 16 (image from Plaza1)
‘Frenoso’, from the modern bull factory that is Victoriano del Río Cortés and coming into the May 16 corrida that was originally made up of animals from José Fraile, was a very different, but no less impressive, toro bravo. Low-slung and carrying 559 kilos, it displayed marvellous mobility and speed, humillando and locked-on to Fernando Adrián’s muleta like a guided missile seeking its target. It too showed well in the tercio de varas, lowering its head and pushing strongly against the peto as it received two puyazos. Adrián made use of the bull’s qualities to construct a dramatic and impressive faena of linked passes, and it was only his swordwork that lost him his fourth departure through the Puerta Grande of Las Ventas. He took a vuelta in compensation - ‘Frenoso’ deserved a vuelta too, but for some reason it was not given.
Ricardo del Río said of ‘Frenoso’ after the corrida: “It was a very complete bull. That transmission and joy was something that immediately excited the tendidos. It also had the qualities of enduring, without faltering at any moment, and lasting until the end, which is a characteristic we really appreciate. Having those performances that last a long time is where the bull's bravery is truly seen, when it withstands the entire rhythm of the performance. I think, in the end, the bull could have taken even a few more passes.”
The Victoriano del Río bull from which Andrés Roca Rey cut two ears at this year’s Feria de Abril in Sevilla
Based in Guadalix de la Sierra (Madrid), the Victoriano del Río herd, established in 1985, is of the Juan Pedro Domecq encaste, constructed from a variety of Domecq herds - Jandilla, Luis Algarra, El Torreón and Salvador Domecq. One of the favoured ranches amongst the figuras, 2024 saw the highest-ever number of Victoriano del Río bulls fought in a temporada - 122 - with animals given a vuelta en arrastre at Nîmes, Granada, Istres, Murcia, Talavera de la Reina and Sevilla and the ganadería declared as one of the triunfadores of the San Isidro feria.
Both ‘Brigadier’ and ‘Frenoso’ will undoubtedly be amongst the animals under consideration for the best bull award for this year’s San Isidro once the feria has ended.