What has happened to Olga Casado?

(Image from sol-y-sombra.fr)

Olga Casado was sensational appearing alongside established matadores de toros in the December Vistalegre festival to raise funds for those affected by the Valencia floods - the only participant to be awarded two ears and a tail. In February, it was announced that the empresarios of Las Ventas - Rafael Garrido and Simon Casas - would manage her career, and she duly debuted with picadors at Olivenza’s feria, appearing alongside Marco Pérez and Tomás Bastos and winning an ear.

Since then, though, she’s appeared in no further novilladas con picadores - her next such event (the only one yet announced for her for the rest of the season) is due to take place at Gijón in August, when she will be toreando with Bastos once more and with El Mene.

Here is someone who promises to be a real breakthrough in the world of los toros, someone the public is keen to see after her televised Vistalegre triumph, and yet her truly competitive appearances are few and far between.

The responsibility for this seems to lie with Simon Casas, who said after he took Olga on that he envisaged a temporada of festejos mixtos for her - a model that is pursued rarely, but brings to mind the season in which the novillero Pepe Luis Vázquez hijo appeared alongside the matador Curro Romero and the rejoneador João Moura in a series of corridas mixtas that did nothing for the youngster’s development as a torero.

So, since Olivenza, Olga has faced single bulls in festivales at Ricla (winning two ears), Chinchón (ovation) and Navas de San Juan (two ears and a tail) and two bulls in mixtas with Marco Pérez and Lea Vicens at Talayuela (four ears) and Puertollano (two ears and a tail and an ovation) and with Lea Vicens and the matador Santana Claros at Antequera (three ears). That’s nine bulls and six appearances. Unlike the Pepe Luis Vázquez precedent, the leading ferias have been avoided as well. She’s also had a number of speaking engagements - good for publicity, but little else.

(Image from FIT)

Surely what the novillera needs most now is to gain experience in front of bulls, ideally in competitive situations? In contrast, this time last year, Marco Pérez had 14 novilladas to his name and Javier Zulueta 10. Are there other reasons for Casado’s absence - is she still spending time studying, or is she focused on toreando away from the public eye en el campo? Perhaps all will be revealed when the carteles for September’s main ferias de novilladas - Villaseca de la Sagra, Arganda del Rey and Arnedo - are announced. If she doesn’t feature in these and continues with the odd festejo mixto here and there, her 2025 will have largely been a wasted opportunity and one more misguided attempt at exploiting a female torero.