Nîmes Grape Harvest Fair: King Ponce abdicates, Daniel Luque takes the throne

Daniel Luque opened the Porte des Consults by cutting four ears in front of the six bulls of La Quinta. Midi Libre – Mikael Anisset

Daniel Luque opened the Porte des Consults by cutting four ears in front of the six bulls of La Quinta. Midi Libre – Mikael Anisset

Daniel Luque opened the Porte des Consults by cutting four ears in front of the six bulls of La Quinta. Midi Libre – Mikael Anisset

Daniel Luque a ouvert la Porte des Consults en coupant quatre oreilles face aux six toros de La Quinta. Midi Libre – Mikael Anisset

During his solo against six bulls from La Quinta, this Saturday, Daniel Luque delivered a copy of great technical dimension to cut four ears and exit through the Porte des Consuls.

Daniel Luque's six fights this Saturday in the arenas of Nimes, are a lesson in bullfighting to be shown in all bullfighting schools. If the solo of Nimes against the La Quinta did not reach the historic heights of Dax in 2022, we cannot hold it against the Sevillian maestro as he delivered a perfect copy. We can just put to his credit three pinchazos with the sword.

The rest was a science lesson with a technical precision worthy of a Swiss watchmaker. Great goldsmithing.

Enrique Ponce's successor

Because the bulls of La Quinta were all in the breeding type, with the exception of the last one, the best armed, all let themselves be bullfighted without any particular difficulty, but they lacked the breed and transmission to create emotion. Apart from the fifth prize-winning example of a deserved vuelta.

Daniel Luque's four ears were unquestionable and all the credit for this triumph goes to him. Bullfighting has already found Enrique Ponce's successor on the throne of toreo. Although their personalities differ, both bullfighters share this concept where the bullfighter does not impose his bullfighting but adapts to the characteristics of the bull to fight in his favor and extract the quintessence. With great gentleness and formidable precision in the distances, placements, times, heights of the muleta and the rhythm set in each pass.

The first bull, like the rest of the lot, was endowed with steadiness, nobility and mobility but he lacked transmission due to his lack of race. Daniel Luque drew three right-handed series in slow motion at mid-height with a lot of slowness, verticality and relaxation. A series of natural spiced up his performance and a perfect sword offered him a first ear. It should be noted that President Burgoa set the tone for a new rigor in the arenas by rightly refusing the petition for a second trophy. Not that Luque's lidia was not up to par, but the La Quinta bull was not a two-eared bull.

Two ears of a La Quinta de vuelta 

Daniel Luque administered the same protocol to the La Quinta with bibs 2 and 3 to mitigate their lack of race and transmission. Softness, technique as therapy to erase the weaknesses of the bulls and offer some artistic figures but the best of his bulls was not enough to obtain trophies.

Chamarrito, who came in 4th position, showed the same blandness as the previous pupils in the first two tercios. An unusual sequence took place when the maestro invited the second sobresaliente to place the banderillas. El Califa de Aragua missed the first pair and slammed his left thigh before returning to the infirmary. Taking advantage of a lull in the wind, Daniel Luque began the faena with doblones in genuflection full of toreria. The next three series on the right bank then lit up the arenas with their slowness, rhythm and plastic. More reserved on the left horn, the Sevillian concluded his faena with a magnificent sequence of right-handed natural (without the sword). A trophy fell from the palco because a pinchazo and a sword positioned behind deprived him of a second ear. Another hat tip for the presidency!

The big moment arrived with Beduino, the 5th brave of the iron of La Quinta. The maestro immediately understood that it was the bull of the bullfight. After a reception with the cape by suave delantales, Luque positioned the horse under the presidency a contra querencia, so that the bull would express all its bravery after a lively gallop from the center of the ring twice. The bullfighter from Gerena allowed himself to place two pairs of banderillas with a certain ease to obtain the support of the public.

A demanding and quality presidency

The Conradi family bull shone with its class, rhythm and nobility and Luque offered a true work of art. With a multiplication of series on both horns in slow motion where he seemed to stop time. All executed with total relaxation (“naturalidad”), slowness and a lot of inspiration. After a perfect sword in the center of the ring, two ears fell and the bull was awarded a deserved vuelta.

Daniel Luque also began his last faena with a lot of toreria by bullfighting in redondo and genuflection. With his technique and his sense of lidia, the maestro made us forget the lack of race and the blandness (soseria) of the La Quinta. The sequences on the two horns were perfectly chiseled and the estocade still exemplary. As a symbol, we will remember the last series of natural of the bullfight by citing the bull with the back of the muleta. One of the specialties of the former King: Enrique Ponce.

The bull was slow to fall and the intensity of the ear petition was reduced. But these four ears of Daniel Luque were all of great value. Worthy of the first French arena.

The bullfight file

Arènes de Nîmes.

Saturday, September 14.

8,500 spectators.

Toros de La Quinta. The 5th prizewinner d’une vuelta.

Daniel Luque: ear, silence after advice, silence, ear, two ears after advice, greeting after advice and petition.