The view from the sofa, my thoughts on corridas I have watched on TV.
El Parralejo novillos for Jorge Expósito, Ginés Marín and Varea.
On paper this was the more attractive novillada of the pair that had been announced for La Fallas. The El Parralejo ganadería has been carving out a strong reputation for quality novillos from its Fuente Ymbro and Jandilla seed, while Ginés Marín and Varea are two of the leading novillero prospects. Marín rose to prominence following a strong showing on his debut with pics in Olivenza last year, which immediately marked him as one of the novlleros to consider – he has continued his upward trajectory and this second season should serve him to build momentum towards the alternativa. I have good references about Varea, but my first chance to see him this year, in Olivenza, was curtailed by a string of weak Talavante novillos. Jorge Expósito was the unknown for me of this novillada. As always, I was relishing the opportunity to asses a new torero.
The opening novillo had a dreamy, profound charge, which Expósito exploited with a good opening series with the left hand, in the centre of the ring, without previously executing any test passes. The novillo was somewhat tardy, but when presented with the lure he would charge long with his head held low, Expósito was able to link the passes by keeping the muleta in its face between each pass. Expósito continued with this tactic for a series of derechazos, but the animal’s vigour was waning. Although he remained in control he was unable to preserve the intensity of the faena once the novillo began to fade. He tried, with some passes por alto with both knees on the ground, but the emotion of the faena had long since dissipated. To Expósito’s credit, his volapié was well executed, if a touch trasero.
Expósito’s second novillo was also extremely classy, with a long noble charge that perhaps lacked an edge of emotion. Jorge was able to channel this charge into numerous slow, low series of derechazos that were technically correct, but came across a fraction cold. I cannot find an objective fault with his toreo – conceptually it was pleasing, long and slow, technically, it was well timed and throughout Expósito was in control of the novillo, but I did not find it moving. He concluded with a populist series of circulares on his knees and the consequential desplante. Had the sword thrust be surer he might have earned a merited ear, but the two pinchazos and the media estocada left the award in an ovation. All told it was a very professional outing by Expósito, he certainly has the foundation of a solid technique, which will only help as he seeks to develop his pleasing concept of toreo. However, he must learn to give his toreo greater emotional intensity in order to take the net step.
Ginés Marín once again impressed us with his low and controlled veronicas to welcome the second novillo into the ring. Aside from their technical merit, Marín always strikes me as being relaxed and reposed in front of the novillo, which in turn leads to controlled toreo. He also attempted a quite by veronicas, but the novillo was too distracted to allow for it. Varea intervened with a quite of four emotive and tightly worked chicuelinas – a very attractive opening gambit from Varea. The animal continued to be distracted into the tercio de muleta and had the added difficulty of an ungainly charge. Marín was able to perform two technically correct and controlled series on the right, before moving to the left and extracting a highly emotive series wherein he teased each charge form the animal with his carefully placed lures. The novillo, however, did not have an emotive charge, it would leave each pass with its head in the clouds and was focussed on everything but the muleta. Even so, Marín was technically correct with the novillo and extracted some very worthy isolated passes. He animated the crowd with some closing bernadinas and might have cut an ear had he not needed a descabello to finish the work that his untidy sword thrust could not.
The fifth novillo had a noble, but inconsistent charge but was not blessed with excessive strength. Ginés Marín started his faena toreando en redondo in the centre of the ring, on his knees, capturing the crowd’s attention immediately. The toreo was reposed, but not as clean as it might have been given that the novillo lost its footing on occasion. Marín built a faena en redondo with either hand that was marked by its delicate nature – the novillo could not sustain powerful low toreo, and on the occasions that Marín sought this, his opponent went to ground. Slowly making the novillo charge with greater depth, Marín’s faena was technically meritorious and aesthetically pleasing – he may not have the most elegant or artistic concept, but his toreo is pure, executed close to the animal and sprinkled with sparkling creative remates. Ginés was awarded a deserved ear for his afternoon’s work, but above all, the principal take from the afternoon was that here is a torero with great potential who should be one of the pillars of the season in the junior escalafón.
Varea’s recibo capotero to the third novillo was emphatic, a series of capotazos hat were the presentation of a novillero determined to impose his will on proceedings. The novillo had a willing charge that verged towards weakness. It needed a well-timed muleta, to caress it through the pass slowly and with no brusque toques. With this technical mindset he was able to extract the odd extraordinary pass from a novillo which, because of its weakness, could not offer him anything more.
The faena to the sixth novillo began with a rhythmic succession of passes naturales and cambiados to take the novillo from the boards to the centre of the ring. The animal had mobility and a long charge, with the tendency to chop at the end of the pass. It took Varea a couple of series to get the measure of the novillo, and once he did, the series that followed were sublime – well timed, slow, long and linked passes with either hand. The novillo was mesmerised following the lure, with its nerve and tendency to chop transformed into nobility and class. Varea’s toreo does not lack elegance, but the aesthetic value of this faena was fashioned through his control of the novillo through successive series en redondo, while thehe odd cambio de mano, farol and remate gave the faena some attractive variety. Varea concluded his work with some circular doblones, further testament to his control over the animal. A full estocada allowed Varea to cut two ears and exit on shoulders, a thoroughly deserved prize. I always try to judge a torero’s form and potential by the quality of toreo en redondo, the fundamental ingredient if one is to perform consistently good faenas. Therefore, by this yardstick, and on today’s showing, Varea is an excellent prospect indeed.
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