Fuente Ymbro novillos for Borja
Álvarez, Ginés Marín & Varea
I would hazard the guess
that Borja Álvarez had been watching San Isidro; no doubt inspired by many a matador
at the world’s premier feria, he welcomed the first novillo with a larga
cambiada a porta gayola. It is a pity that the frequency of this suerte is reducing
its effect on crowds. I can scarcely imagine the valour its takes to wait for a
novillo to come into the light from its dark pen while waiting on one’s knees.
However, people’s reaction to this lance seems to be a cold, premeditated ole.
Borja looked to be involved with the capote throughout the lidia, but his work,
although mostly clean (there was the odd enganchón), was cold. The novillo galloped
with a jovial manner, it keenly followed the lures and repeated its charges. It
was the type of excellent novillo one has come to expect from Fuente Ymbro. Borja
was able to build a faena that was well linked, based on toreo en redondo,
emotive and exciting. On the plus side, he stood up to the novillo’s strong
charges and linked long series en redondo. On the minus, the performance lacked
profoundness and he might have passed the novillo closer to him. I did not like
the concluding toreo I figure of eight, it was performed with too much distance
to the novillo and the novillo’s charges might have been better employed
towards toreo en redondo. Ultimately, Álvarez’s faena was below the level of
the novillo’s possibilities, but, taking into account his limited experience as
a novillero, he at least managed to give a dignified performance. He cut a
deserved ear, when another might have cut two.
Borja was varied with the
capote with his second novillo, opting for genuflected veronicas and
chicuelinas in the saludo, and tafalleras for the quite. The novillo was mobile,
but distracted which detracted from Álvarez’s toreo. Borja’s variety and desire
to please continued with his muleta work, starting his faena with a farol and
circulares on his knees, which nearly cost him a tossing. The novillo was
tough. Although mobile and nervy, it did not readily give up its charges and
lacked class – underpinning its behaviour was more than an edge of mansedumbre.
However, when Álvarez stayed still kept the lure in its face he was able to
link emotive toreo en redondo. On this basis, Borja managed a couple of series
of naturales and circulares with the right hand. His estocada was emotively executed
and although trasera, was effective enough for Álvarez to cut another ear.
Borja’s overall performance was solid, full of desire and variety, just what
one would ask of a novillero. However, fundamentally, I felt his work lacked
the overall control, repose and profoundness that would hold him in good stead
as he takes the step to the senior escalafón.
Ginés Marín also headed
to the puerta de chiqueros to greet the second novillo of the afternoon and
gave another larga cambiada a porta gayola. Exciting as it was, I preferred the
low, deep veronicas he gave once on his feet – Ginés reminding us of his
excellent capote. He concluded the recibo with some pyro, another larga
cambiada de rodillas. The start of the faena de muleta was excellent; the novillo
charged like a freight train, but Marín calmly called it from the boards to the
centre of the ring with his left hand. Despite the strength of the novillo’s
charge Marín’s work was marked by its calm. The novillo proved nervy, with a
depth of class if the Marín could tease it out of him. In order to do so Ginés
had to take the novillo long through the pass, if there was an edge of doubt in
the muletazo the novillo would prey on this, cut short and seek the man. The
faena was slightly inconsistent, though at its best consisted of Ginés passing
the novillo long, slow and profoundly through well linked series of muletazos.
Marín kept the faena fresh with colourful remates and a concluding series of manoletinas.
There would have been at least an ear in it for Ginés had he been surer with the
sword.
The fifth novillo was met
with slow, low and languid veronicas – a pleasing start. The novillo was
distracted, Ginés’ quite was therefore limited to a gentle media. The capote
work was not particularly exciting, but Marín showed the ease with which he is
able to torear in the early tercios. The novillo was proving to lack class and
have a surplus of mansedumbre. Its defects were accentuated when it reached the
muleta third and Marín was unable to create a faena. Ginés was in control and
managed the odd pass of note, but further work was impossible when faced with
such a novillo.
Varea did not opt for the
porta gayola. However, his saludo capotero was elegant, controlled and
emphatic. Four excellent veronicas, a couple of cheery chicuelinas and an aesthetically
pleasing revolera moved the crowd more than an isolated lance a porta gayola
could have. José Manuel Montoliú performed a moving tercio de banderillas, evoking
his late, great, father with his reposed style. The novillo was another vibrant
animal, and Varea’s opening gambit was equally bright, passes naturales and cambiados
on his knees. His opponent’s charge, although long and smooth, lacked
repetition. Therefore, although the early series en redondo were silky and
reposed, they lacked an edge of continuity that would have elevated the faena.
As the performance developed Varea was looking to build towards a crescendo in
the form of two determinedly linked series which necessitated keeping the lure
in the novillo’s face between each pass. He concluded with some delightful
doblones, nearly managing a Poncina, but not before he suffered an
inconsequential voltereta while trying to torear en redondo. Unfortunately,
like Marín, his sword handling was poor. The conviction and clarity he displayed
with the capote and muleta was lost as soon as he took the espada. Notwithstanding
the pinchazo and bajonazo the crowd petitioned for an ear that the president
was bound to concede – although the faena deserved a prize, the sword work did
not.
As the only novillero who
had not yet welcomed an animal on his knees, Varea put this right with two
opening faroles de rodillas in his recibo capotero to the sixth novillo. However,
the truly important and moving part of his recibo were the excellently linked,
smooth veronicas he gave once on his feet. Excellent work from the young
novillero. The fresh capoteo continued during the quite with an aesthetically
pleasing, almost baroque, chicuelina, a genuflected veronica and creative
remate. After the previous couple of class-less novillos, Varea could see that
this animal offered real possibilities with the muleta and dedicated the faena
to the crowd. Varea began the faena with low doblones, dominant but gentle
passes to teach the classy animal to take its classy charge long through each
muletazo. His early toreo en redondo was gentle and sweet, a perfect match for
the noble novillo. The slow and well timed series of derechazos were among the
most profound of the novillada. Isolated passes with the left hand were equally
good, the bull was more reticent on this side and the passes were not as well
linked. As the faena progressed, some ugly enganchones and a desarme muddied
the performance. These came towards the end of the faena and Varea opted to
conclude with forcibly linked derechazos and a concluding populist arrimón on
his knees. These served to excite a crowd whose emotion had waned after the
excellent start to the faena. His sword work,
once again, was poor, he crowd was sufficiently taken to petition for an ear
that the president granted. Nevertheless, Varea confirmed the excellent impression
he caused in Valencia, positioning himself as one of the season’s leading
novilleros.
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