Peruvian matador Andrés Roca Rey and Salamanca-born torero Marco Pérez each cut three ears on Sunday, sharing top billing at the second bullfight of the Feria de la Virgen de la Vega in Salamanca, Spain, in a sold-out afternoon featuring bulls from the Garcigrande ranch.
Alejandro Talavante completed the three-man bill at La Glorieta bullring but did not match his rivals. He finished without a trophy on his first bull, after the arena president issued a warning, and took a single ear, again after a warning, on his fourth.
Roca Rey and Pérez Carried Out on Shoulders
Images shared by the bullring's official account, Toros_Salamanca, showed Roca Rey and Marco Pérez being carried out of the ring on the shoulders of the crowd at the end of the afternoon, a traditional mark of triumph in Spanish bullfighting reserved for performances judged outstanding by the public.
Talavante Struggles for Rhythm
Talavante's first bull was short in the neck and carried heavy folds of skin, and took a severe pic wound from the horseback lancer to the rear. His work with the muleta, the red cape used in the closing stage, was described as flat and unremarkable against a noble but unexceptional animal.
He fared better with his fourth bull, opening with a series of smooth cape passes known as veronicas against an animal with class and range. His routine had highs and lows, with strong moments both left and right-handed mixed with stretches judged cold.
Roca Rey's Fifth-Bull Masterclass
Roca Rey took time to settle with his second bull, which charged with depth and range, and pressed the animal hard from the start while holding his hand low. The second half of the routine found rhythm on his right-hand side, punctuated by a standout chest pass taken over the opposite shoulder and a flourish of inverted circular passes that lifted the crowd.
His fifth bull swayed under the lance but came away loose from the horse and put the banderillero known as Viruta in danger after he planted an outstanding pair of banderillas. Roca Rey dedicated the bull to the crowd and opened his routine kneeling in the center of the ring with passes behind his back. Facing a showy, brave and noble animal that he worked in low, sweeping passes, he built the routine on poise, control and linked passes, finishing with a close final flourish.
Marco Pérez Kneels at the Gate
Marco Pérez received his third bull of the afternoon kneeling at the gate through which the animal entered the ring, a maneuver known as a portagayola and regarded as one of bullfighting's most dangerous opening moves. It followed a disorganized banderilla stage, and Pérez began his routine with assisted passes from his knees against a bull that was noble but lacked rhythm in its charges. He tightened the routine by working the animal hard on his right side, highlighted by a run of inverted circular passes.
Pérez again received his final bull of the day at the gate on his knees, in a stage that saw banderillero Elías Martín shine. The Salamanca-born torero opened in the center of the ring, working comfortably on his right hand with rhythm against a keen bull that charged low.
About the Feria de la Virgen de la Vega
The Feria de la Virgen de la Vega is Salamanca's annual bullfighting fair, held at the city's La Glorieta bullring. Sunday's fight was the second of the fair's ticketed bullfights and drew a full house, with organizers reporting no tickets left.
The six bulls came from the Garcigrande ranch, a breeder based in the Salamanca province long associated with the fair. Organizers judged the bulls well presented and good performers in the ring, and the sixth was given a lap of honor around the arena in recognition of its display.
Roca Rey, from Lima, Peru, and Talavante, from Extremadura in western Spain, are among the leading names on the current Spanish bullfighting circuit. Marco Pérez, the third man on the bill, is a torero from Salamanca itself.
Sunday's final tally saw Talavante awarded silence after a warning on his first bull and one ear after a warning on his fourth, while both Roca Rey and Marco Pérez were awarded one ear on their first bulls of the day and two ears each on their closing bulls.
