Alberto Lamelas took a lap of the ring at Las Ventas in Madrid on Sunday after a petition from the crowd, capping a breeders' challenge bullfight between the Valdellán and Juan Luis Fraile ranches.
The corrida, held on 13 September 2026, drew 7,363 spectators, according to the promoter, filling roughly a third of the historic arena. Three matadors shared the six bulls: Pérez Mota, Lamelas and José Carlos Venegas.
Las Ventas is Madrid's main bullring and one of the most prestigious in Spain. A "desafío ganadero", or breeders' challenge, pits bulls from two different ranches against each other on the same afternoon so fans and critics can compare the animals' quality.
Pérez Mota tossed but unhurt
Pérez Mota opened the afternoon against a sharp-horned Valdellán bull that was noble on its left side, the flank the matador used for most of his work, in unhurried passes at medium height and distance while he encouraged the animal with his voice. His performance never rose above decent.
His second bull, from Juan Luis Fraile, proved difficult from the start. Banderilleros went in repeatedly, their sticks falling to the sand each time, and it took several attempts before four finally stuck. The bull that followed was noble but dull, and Pérez Mota's cape work drew little interest. During his second attempt to kill it, he was tossed and left hanging from the horns for several tense seconds. He got up bruised but not injured, and went on to see the bull fall.
Lamelas stands his ground against Fraile bull
Lamelas took on a tough, hard-charging bull from Juan Luis Fraile in the second bout of the afternoon, an animal that lowered its head and swept with both horns. The matador from Jaén met it head-on, both in his opening capework and in a tight gaoneras quite he produced in response to another move by Venegas, turning the bout into a duel between a bull trying to catch him and a torero trying to avoid being thrown while still looking the part.
He could have been awarded an ear had he killed the bull cleanly on his first attempt, but that did not happen. Both bull and matador were given a strong ovation.
A lap of the ring on the fifth bull
Lamelas received his second bull, from Valdellán, kneeling at the gate as it charged into the ring, a move known as receiving a porta gayola. The animal appeared to have just enough stamina, but charged well and often once the muleta came out, with Lamelas finding a better rhythm on the right horn than the left, even though the bull carried quality on that side too.
Observers noted the bull might have been outstanding had it lowered its head further, and that Lamelas, who fought with total commitment throughout, at times seemed to rush, which may have kept him from settling fully into the bull's charge. The performance was enough to earn him his lap of the ring after the crowd's petition.
Venegas and the bull that got away
The afternoon's third bull, a substitute from the El Montecillo ranch, was not an attractive-looking animal, tall at the withers and big-headed, but it charged sweetly on both horns, and especially well on the left.
José Carlos Venegas took time to realise it. His opening series on the right were merely correct, but once he switched to the left horn, he found what the bull's charge really offered, with the animal following the muleta closely. Venegas alternated between opening up his passes and drawing the bull in tight, leaving the impression that a potentially outstanding bull had slipped away from him, not only because of his final failure with the sword.
His last bull, from Juan Luis Fraile, did not get away from him entirely. It showed remarkable calm on both horns, and Venegas enjoyed guiding its slow-motion charges without excessive flourishes as the crowd roared its approval. He was again unsuccessful with the sword. As with his first bull, both bull and matador were applauded, though the ovation for the animal outweighed that for the torero.
Result card
Madrid, Las Ventas, Sunday, 13 September 2026. Breeders' challenge. Two bulls from Valdellán, three from Juan Luis Fraile and one substitute from El Montecillo, all well presented. The first bull was manageable on the left, the second well-bred and applauded as it was dragged from the ring, the substitute third also applauded on its exit, the fourth noble but bland, the fifth manageable and the sixth of outstanding class.
Pérez Mota was awarded salutes with protests for his first bull and salutes for his second. Lamelas received salutes after a warning for his first bull and a lap of the ring after petition for his second. Venegas was met with silence after two warnings for his first bull and applause after a warning for his second.
