Feria de Béziers 2024: the sorteo, the moment when the dice are cast

Le sorteo, ce vendredi 16 août au matin, aux arènes de Béziers, moment important… Midi Libre – GIACOMO ITALIANO

Midi Libre vous fait découvrir les coulisses du tirage au sort de la corrida de ce vendredi 16 août.

Before the novillada without picador, this Friday morning at 10:30 a.m., the cuadrillas of Talavante, Luque and Borja Jimenez left the callejon to go discover the toros they will fight at 6 p.m. in the bullring corrals. Few bullfighters come to see their opponents before the bullfight and they prefer to stay and rest in their hotel rooms.

During the preceding months, their veedor (their representative), has already seen them in the Andalusian camp to carry out a scan of each bull where they were able to see their size and send photos to their bullfighter and exchange with the breeder to know their precise pedigree (stallion and mother of each bull, performances of their brothers already fought…).

Composition of three lots of two bulls

The banderilleros and picadors, accompanied by their apoderado, begin by scrutinizing all of Santiago Domecq's bulls to ensure that they do not suffer from any physical handicap (lame, vision, etc.) then the negotiations begin to compose three lots of two homogeneous bulls to best distribute the chances between their maestros.

The cuadrillas then go to meet the partners of the bullring, the bullfighting commission and a few VIPs. The trusted men display a smile of circumstance but the tension is already palpable a few hours before the paseo. The moment becomes solemn and silence is imposed when the representative of Borja Jimenez (Tomas Cerqueira), the least experienced bullfighter, meticulously prepares the three balls on cigarette paper where the numbers of the bulls of each lot are written.

Meanwhile, a member of the bullfighting commission, Thierry Girard, gives a quick presentation of the breeding to the public. The sesame seeds are placed in the hat of the mayoral (breeding manager) of Santiago Domecq. The sorteo can then begin.

The drawing with balls of paper

The cuadrilla of the chief of lidia, Alejandro Talavante, draws the first lot in the sombrero and the ceremony continues with the representatives of the bullfighters in order of alternation. In the presence of Michel Daudé, president of the bullfight, each number of bulls is taken up, presenting their pedigree (birth, weight, coat, etc.) to the aficionados and the bullfighter who will face them.

The dice are then cast and everyone returns to the corrales to see their bull of the day again and watch for signs in their behavior when they are led to the chiqueros of the toril where the brave ones will wait until they go out into the ring. Smartphones crackle to record photos and videos that they will show to their maestro to try to convince themselves that they have inherited the best lot to triumph at 6 p.m.

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