Nîmes grape harvest fair: two ears for the consecration of Lalo de Maria

Lalo de Maria cut two ears for his alternative. Midi Libre – ALEXIS BETHUNE

A time of exchanges filled with emotion between Lalo de Maria and his mother, the bullfighter Marie Sara. Midi Libre – ALEXIS BETHUNE

Lalo de Maria showed beautiful facets of his personality during the two fights. Midi Libre – ALEXIS BETHUNE

Sébastien Castella did not have the opportunity to shine for his first of two paseos at the Feria des Vendanges. Midi Libre – ALEXIS BETHUNE

Jose Maria Manzanares a coupé une oreille et retrouve son meilleur niveau. Midi Libre – ALEXIS BETHUNE

For the opening of the Feria de Grape Harvest, this Friday, Lalo de Maria cut an ear from his two Jandilla bulls in a very strong wind. Jose Maria Manzanares also won a trophy. Sébastien Castella inherited a lot without an option.

It was not a surprise but the violent wind, which raged throughout the bullfight and which is forecast for the rest of the feria, seriously disrupted the opening bullfight of the Feria des Vendanges. The capes and muletas were flying and the bullfighters could not lead the charges of the bulls with precision, even though Lalo de Maria, Sébastien Castella and Jose Maria Manzanares risked their lives to offer a worthy spectacle to the 5,000 spectators.

Without the whims of the wind, Nîmes would have witnessed a completely different bullfight with a batch of Jandillas correctly presented even if two examples were less robust and armed. The first three showed sustained commitment to the pike and bibs 3 and 6 were endowed with class and nobility during the faenas.

The personality and style of Lalo de Maria

This bullfight began with the alternative bull (Ondulado, n° 7, born in December 2019, black, 510 kg) of Lalo de Maria from the Vegahermosa iron. After the ceremony presided over by Sébastien Castella in the presence of Manzanares, the toast to his mother, Marie Sara, was a moment of intense emotion in a long intimate exchange, with moist eyes. But the new matador of toros quickly dried his tears and the bullfighter immediately showed his determination and courage despite the danger of the wind.

Started with toreria with tasty doblones with a knee on the ground, Lalo de Maria took advantage of his opponent's qualities to build a faena of the best taste. Three deep right-handed series preceded a good series of natural performed in slow motion and from below, before concluding with inverted circulars. The aficionados even forgot the misdeeds of the wind for ten minutes. The sword fell low but an ear was awarded by the  palco after a unanimous petition from the public.

The last Jandilla of the bullfight proved to be the best of the bullfight for his qualities of promptness, class and depth with the muleta. Lalo de Maria began the faena with drums beating with a series of kneeling toreos with deep passes with aplomb and domination. The four sequences on the right bank at the temple impeccable demonstrated all the personality and talent of the new bullfighter. He just missed a great series on the left and the bullfighter's youth sometimes emerged when he was disarmed several times. But, in these conditions, it was a faena that proved that Lalo de Maria deserved his place in the supreme escalafon and a lightning sword, after an initial failure, offered him a new ear of weight and a triumphant exit through the door of the cuadrillas.

Manzanares finds the way to the summits

Sébastien Castella's third paseo this temporada will not leave him with an unforgettable memory. Often irritated by the wind, the planets never aligned. His first Jandilla was sent back to the toril for his weakness and the reserve was a very encasté and violent bull. Despite the sudden charge of the brave and a wind that made the fight impossible, the Biterrois demonstrated all his will, his power and his technique to snatch several meritorious series. Unfortunately, the final sword was badly positioned.

His second Jandilla was a very weak bull from the moment he entered the ring and he did not have the strength to charge to the end of the passes. With perseverance, Castella insisted on extracting his courage and, towards the end, performing three correct right-handed series by reducing the distances. The sword was carried slightly behind and the public made him salute to reward him for his efforts.

Finally, Jose Maria Manzanares seems to have found his way back to the top for a month and his legendary regularity and ease with the steels. He began his first faena in style with passes from below in genuflection. Four right-handed series were signed by the house with depth and this ability to link the passes. A superb sword “to receive” justified getting an ear.

His last bull left him no opportunity to shine through his weakness despite the good intentions of the Spanish maestro. We will only remember the magnificent concluding sword.

The bullfight file

Friday, September 13.

Arènes de Nîmes.

5,000 spectators.

Toros de Jandilla. The first of the iron of Vegahermosa.

Sébastien Castella: silence and greeting after advice.

Jose Maria Manzanares: ear and silence.

Lalo de Maria: ear and ear after advice.