News - California Bloodless Bullfights

Stevinson - May 26, 2008
(with permission from Portuguese Tribuna)
by Jim Verner

Forcados Face Big Bulls

The corrida in Stevinson on May 26 was a standing-room only affair. At least for the crowd. For many of the forcados, it was an evening of getting knocked off their feet, sometimes flying into the air and other times thrown to the ground. The bulls were large and powerful. Some looked to be a full four years old, maybe even five, and weighed in the range of 500 kg. These bulls, three from Jose Souza and three from Acoriana, were of an age and size that is worthy of the serious plazas in Portugal, Mexico, and Spain. But in those countries, bulls are worn down by picadors when matadors perform and by the ferros with real blades and barbs used by the cavaleiros. To expect artistic quality toreo and pegas with such large animals is unrealistic when the only “punishment” is Velcro-tipped ferros.

Jose Souza’s bulls, the first three of the evening, were magnificent looking animals. They attacked the capotes of the peones de brega with vigor, making me wish there were some matadors on the program to take advantage of their bravery. Unfortunately, the bulls showed much less interest in the horses, so the cavaleiros worked hard to get, and then kept, the animals focused on the horse. Paulo Ferreira has the skill to handle such animals, and although his horses were caught several times, he did a professional job. Tiago Pamplona, lacking Ferreira’s ability, was less successful. His work was mainly defensive, but he deserved respect for his effort.

The last three bulls of the evening were from Acoriana. They were also impressive toiros, and somewhat better for the horsemen. So the cavaleiros continued to do their thing with Ferreira showing his horsemanship and bull-sense, while Pamplona earned another “E” for effort.

If the evening was difficult for the cavaleiros, it was even more so for the forcados. And not just the forcado de cara. While most people think that the caras, the one who wears the cap and receives the bull, has the most difficult and dangerous job, it is really man behind him, the primeiro ayuda, who runs even more risk. His task is to support the lead forcado, keeping him between the horns while the others pile on to stop the animal. But the primeiro ayuda often loses sight of the bull and he may be hit by the feet or the body of the caras when he is tossed up by the bull. Kyle Parker, of the Forcados de Turlock, took this position, as he seems to do frequently, and did it exceedingly well, even though in one of the pegas he was tossed to the ground and stepped on by the bull and had to be carried from the ring.

The group from Artesia, Sul da California, was unable to make pegas to any of their three bulls. As their fallen comrades were carried and helped from the ring after the first try on each toiro, they wisely decided to give it a pass. This group from Artesia gets much less opportunity than the Forcados de Turlock, and to expect them to handle such big bulls was unrealistic.

The Forcados de Turlock managed their pegas, but they also paid a price with some of their members tossed and hurt in the process. On the first bull, Frank Parreira made an excellent pega and the rabejador, Gary Rocha, handled the tail with style. It took two tries for Jason McDonald to make his pega, but the second effort was outstanding, while Derrick Castro also showed style with the tail. Their final bull was strong and neither the pega nor the tail work was of the quality of the previous two animals.

Special mention should be made of the peoes de brega – Mario Texeira, David Vaz, Hugo David, and another whose name I don’t know. They all worked hard and very capably in assisting the cavaleiros and the forcados, minimizing the mishaps with such large bulls. One quite, made by David Vaz to a fallen forcado, was especially fortuitous, literally a quite sent from heaven that saved the forcado from what would have most likely been tragic consequences.

Gustine – April 19, 2008
(Courtesy Portuguese Tribune)

Small Crowd to See a Small Bullfighter

With a sunny afternoon and an interesting cartel, it was surprising to see the Plaza “Bella Vista” of Gustine only one third full. But those present saw an interesting corrida that offered Mexico’s youngest noveilheiro and a new matador, both from Aguascalientes, along with the professional cavaleiro, Paulo Ferreira from Portugal, facing bulls from the ganadaria of Joe Parriera.

The first bull, a large red toiro, was manso, charging reluctantly and then losing interest in the horse as well as the capotes of the banderilleros. Paulo Ferreira worked hard to try to keep the animal focused and, in the end, managed to place four rejones with good style and took a well deserved vuelta for his effort. The forcado group, Amadores de Turlock, met their Waterloo with this difficult and erratic animal. In spite of the valor and insistence of these forcados, three attempts to make a pega were unsuccessful and the bull was returned to the corrals.

Ferreira’s second bull was much better and allowed the cavaleiro to show his style and ability, earning another vuelta. This time, the forcados had better luck. On the second try, Jason McDonald made a successful pega, receiving the bull from a distance, while Gary Rocha did a good job with the tail.

Juan Galvez’ first bull, a large grey animal, had a good charge, but the matador seemed unsure of himself in the beginning and performed only mediocre cape work. After Mario Texeira placed an excellent pair of banderillas, Galvez began the faena with smooth doblones, showing the bull’s potential, but the derechazos and naturals that followed were not of the same quality. After some more so-so muleta work, Galvez seemed to realize the bull deserved better and made several good series with the right hand before simulating the kill. Vuelta.

Galvez’ second bull came out displaying manso tendencies, and on one of the cape passes it turned abruptly into the matador’s body. Was this just a quirk on the part of the bull, or had the bull perhaps been caped before? Would the bull have improved or gotten worse? We will never know because after just this one pass, the bull was changed without further testing. The replacement was a smaller bull with an erratic charge, tossing its head as it followed the cape. Yet, Galvez stood his ground and made a well structured faena. He was awarded another vuelta.

Rafita Mirabel, said to be eleven years old, faced two animals that while smaller, were still respectable for such a young torero. With both bulls, Rafita showed he is brave and goes to the bull without hesitation. His work, however, with capote and muleta was too fast and hurried and Rafita has tendency exaggerate the strutting poses after a series of passes. His first novillo was brave and had a good charge, while his second was less brave but still easy to fight. Each animal needed a different type of fight, yet Rafita gave the same to both. Given his valor, he now needs to concentrate on slowing down and understanding how his technique must adapt to the quality of the bull. Rafita took vueltas after each bull. We will have to watch to see how this youngster matures.

Successful Festivals in Honor of Dr. Wayne Pearce

On Saturday and Sunday, December 15 and 16, thirteen aficionados practicos got together in Gustine to face 13 brave animals from Joe Martins’ California ganaderia “Acoriana.” By all counts they were great events, for the practicos as well as the ganadero. The weather was beautiful and the animals were brave and charged aggressively. Seven of the ten vaquillas tested were excellent, with the smooth, noble charges that make artistic bullfighting possible.

Even though the honoree, Dr. Pearce, also known as “El Wayno” to MundoTaurino members, was unable to attend, it was an important gesture to show our appreciation for his tireless efforts to obtain and supply videos of bullfights to aficionados.

On Saturday, there were three good sized novillos and three vaquillas. David Moss, Mario Orlando, and Jim Verner took the larger novillos while the vaquillas were for Armando Botello, Raul Robles, and Bruce Hutton. Bruce kindly let Pepe Canales and Jim Verner share his animal.

On Sunday, Rafael Campos, Pepe Canales, Coleman Cooney, Chris Ludwig, Rosita Morales, Ian Nievez, and Michael Rauner fought vaquillas. A new aficionada, Ange Day, entered the ring for the first time and showed she has valor and can stay calm in front of the animals.

This group of practicos was a mixed bag of experience: Rosita Morales, David Moss, and Pepe Canales fought professionally; Coleman Cooney, Mario Orlando, Chris Ludwig, Michael Rauner, and Jim Verner have considerable experience as practicos; while Armando Botello, Ian Nievez, Rafael Campos, and Raul Robles are still relatively new to the arte de cuchares. Yet, everyone had moments of good work and enjoyed themselves.

Special thanks go to ganadero Joe Martin for allowing us to make this festival/tienta and to David Baz, a professional banderillero, whose help on both days was invaluable.

There were several photographers taking pictures. The ones enclosed with this note were taken by Paz de la Calzada, and a more extensive showing can be seen at Michael Rauner’s website: http://www.michaelrauner.com/gustine. Jose Avila, Editor of the Tribuna Portuguesa was there on Saturday and took excellent photos. As more become available from other photographers, they will be submitted. Hopefully we will be able to post photos of all the participants.

Jim Verner

Cavaleiro Joao Moura Triumphs in Thornton

Two outstanding corridas were held in Thornton’s Praca de Sao Joao on Saturday afternoon, October 20 and Monday evening, October 22 as part of the weekend celebrations for Nossa Senhora de Fatima. It was a weekend of well deserved vueltas for cavaleiros, toreiros, and forcados.

October 20
It was a day when everything came together. First, there were six impressive and brave bulls from the rancho of Candido Costa in Wasco, and bulls are the raw material for a corrida de toiros. Second, there were two masters in the art and technique of bullfighting, one fighting from horseback and one fighting on foot. And third, two groups of brave forcados handled the bulls with valor and great style. Combine these three elements with a beautiful fall afternoon and it added up to a memorable corrida for the standing-room-only crowd.

The bulls were a uniform lot of good looking grey animals, ranging from light to dark, that had the bravery, power, and aggressiveness to give emotion and merit to the toreiros work. While some charged smoothly, others hooked viciously and cut their charges short and were difficult for the toreiros on foot. But all animals aggressively charged the horses and forcados from a distance.

Joao Moura put on a performance with both bulls that showed how a talented cavaleiro can use his horse like a matador uses the muleta. While most cavaleiros make an entry and quick exit from the bull when placing the Velcro-tipped rejones and banderillas, Moura worked his horses just inches from the bull’s horns, controlling the speed of both his mount and the bull to lengthen the bulls’ charges. Some of the encounters as he placed rejones and banderillas seemed to last an eternity. He first bull, the best of day, had a noble charge and allowed Moura to display his full artistry. His second bull was more complicated, and this made for an even more interesting performance as Moura showed how a master horseman with extraordinary bull-sense can work a difficult animal.

If Vasco Taborda had been performing with another cavaleiro, his work would have been outstanding. But after Moura’s performances, Taborda’s work seemed dimmed in the shine of Joao Moura’s ability. Yet, he worked his animals well and took well deserved vueltas with both bulls.

Matador Jose Luis Goncalves, also a master toreiro, took a bull that began seeking out the matador’s body from the opening passes and taught it to charge the muleta. He cape work was adequate and stylish, but with the muleta Goncalves was outstanding. Beginning his faena sitting on the estribo, he then stood and worked the bull towards the middle of the ring, where the rest of the faena was performed. The bull’s left side was treacherous, and even Goncalves’ skill was unable to improve that trait. But, working on the right, the matador did several series of derechazos that led the bull smoothly.

With the last bull of the day, novilheiro Nuno Casquinha was unable to take advantage of a good bull. Casquinha danced away in his passes rather than standing his ground and leading the bull properly. The best we saw with this bull was Mario Texeira’s excellent pair of banderillas.

Both groups of forcados had a tough, but successful day. These bulls charged from a distance with strength and vigor that produced several spectacular tossing and a couple forcados had to be helped from the ring. But in the end, Sergio Melin and Mario Cardoso from Mazatlan made excellent pegas, with Cardoso virtually hanging on by himself while waiting for other members of the team who were knocked down to get back up and help. While the rabateiro on their first bull lost control as the animal pursued the fleeing forcados, Sergio Tirado was excellent on their second. The forcados Os Aposento from Turlock also had a good day: David Mendosa and Jason Viera made the pegas, while Raymond Oliveira and Albert Paulo handled the tail with good style.

In short, an afternoon of toiros that had everyone anxious to return on Monday.

October 22
A full house watched the same cartel on Monday evening, but this time with three bulls from Manuel Sousa Jr and three from Manuel Costa Jr. If anything, this corrida was even better than the one on Saturday. Both ganaderos obviously picked their best animals for such an important night, sending impressive bulls that looked like the fighting bulls one would see in the best plazas of Mexico, Portugal, and Spain. And these animals were also brave, offering the toreiros and forcados a chance to show what they can do. Only the fifth bull, from Manuel Costa Jr, fell below the quality of the others.

Joao Moura was determined to end the Central California season on a high note, and what a high a note he reached! His ability to keep the bull charging the horse puts horseback bullfighting on a level we seldom, or maybe never, see in other cavaleiros. And the way Moura controls his mount and understands the timing and distance needed for each bull allows him to fight close yet he keeps his horse from being hit like so many others who try to work close to the horns. On his second bull, he placed eight – yes, eight – of the Velcro tipped banderillas: the fourth “a violin”, then two “cortas”, then, wanting another corta but seeing there were no more, he broke a standard banderilla for his third “corta.” But it was the eighth and final banderilla that was the highlight of his work when he placed the stick in difficult and dangerous terrains. The bull was near the barrera, and Moura, with just inches to spare, went between the bull and the fence for a perfect placement. There can be no doubt: Joao Moura is a maestro of maestros.

Vasco Taborda’s performance with both bulls was outstanding. His first had a good charge, and Taborda worked it in classical fashion. His second animal was complicated, at times distracted and at other times cutting in on the horse, but the cavaleiro was able to handle these problems and placed rejones and banderillas with style.

Jose Luis Goncalves again showed his ability as he settled the bull with veronicas and then went to the center of the ring for chicuelinas. With the muleta, Goncalves worked in the middle of the ring with long, low, smooth derechazos. The faena, although only done on the right side, was well constructed, ending with a desplante and then manoletinas before simulating the sword thrust with the Velcro tipped banderilla.

The novilheiro Nuno Casquinha faced an excellent animal with a noble charge, and while he managed some good passes, his work was far below what the animal deserved.

The two forcado teams had another successful night. The group from Mazatlan made two good pegas with Mario Calderon and Sergio Crucado making the grabs and Carlos Tirado handling the tail in both bulls. For Os Aposento de Turlock, Junior Machado and Donald Mota made excellent pegas and Raymond Olivera showed outstanding style when took the tail for both animals.

Cavaleiro – Rui Salvador (Portugal)
Matador – Jose Luis Goncalves (Portugal)
Forcados – Artesia – Do Sul da California
Toiros – Candido Costa

"Article used with permission of the Tribuna Portuguesa."
by Jim Verner

A standing-room-only crowd filled the praca in Artesia on July 30. But rather than the artistic performance they hoped to see, they watched a mix of brave-but-difficult bulls and a small plaza that make for a dangerous bullfight. The bulls from Candido Costa had the ferociousness of bulls of old, charging from afar, cutting in on the cavaleiro’s horse and turning quickly when they reached the capes of the toreiros. These were not bulls for today’s preferred style of toreo, but they definitely gave emotion and meaning to everything that took place in the ring.

In spite of his horsemanship and know-how, Rui Salvador, the cavaleiro from Portugal, had a difficult time. His horses were caught several times as the bulls charged aggressively in the small ring. Yet the cavaleiro managed to place some of the Velcro-tipped rejones and banderillas with style, and was awarded vueltas after each of his three bulls.


Photos courtesy and (C) dcfreitas

More Images available at the Photo Gallery (click here)

And if such bulls were difficult for the horseman, they were even more so for the brave forcados from Artesia-Do Sul da California. Since the bulls often charged the moment they caught sight of the forcados, the members of the Artesia team were forced to scurry to the fence and wait for the banderilleros to try to place the bull in the location necessary for a proper grab. In the end, they did just that, and we saw good pegas by Frank Goncalvez, David Correia, and Enrique Docanto, while Paul Toledo and Manuel Coelho handled the tail with great style.

The matador, Jose Luis Goncalves, also found these bulls intimidating. With bulls like these, nothing is easy. Goncalves started off well with his first bull, but the artistic passes were few before the bull was turning quickly and putting the matador on the defensive. Rather than giving the appropriate lidia of doblones and pases por alto, Goncalves attempted the more classical derechazos and naturals. But these bulls would spin on a dime and were virtually on top of the matador, so most of the passes became movements to get away. Maybe Goncalves was trying to please the crowd that wants to see low passes, but with these animals such muletazos simply won’t work. The last bull of the evening was especially difficult and had the banderilleros dropping the sticks and running for their lives before finally placing the banderillas “a media vuelta,” which is the best technique for such difficult bulls. For his efforts, Goncalves gave a salute to the crowd after simulating the kill with each animal.

Cavaleiro Marco Jose (Portugal)
Jose Ignacio Ramos (Spain)
Jose Luis Goncalves (Portugal)
Forcados: Do Aposento de Turlock
Ganadaria: Manuel C. Sousa, Jr.

SERIOUS TOIROS FOR SERIOUS TOREIROS

Legend has it that Juan Belmonte, perhaps the most famous matador of the early 1900s, was at a bull ranch testing heifers when an aspiring novillero went out with one of the cows and had a difficult time. Limping back to the fence, the youngster looked at Belmonte and said, “I hope the next one is brave.” Belmonte simply smiled at the boy and said, “Pray to God that you do not get a brave animal.”

This apparent contradiction stems from the different definitions of “bravery.” For some, and this was surely what the youth had in mind, “brave” means clear, smooth charges. For others, bravery in fighting bulls is aggressive ferociousness. Belmonte was referring to this kind of bravery, since he knew that it is the “aggressive and ferocious” bull that gives meaning to bullfighting. While the best bulls combine both types of bravery, in actual fact few animals display that ideal mix. And of the two, aggressive ferociousness is the more important since without danger and risk, bullfighting is a second-class ballet.

I tell this story because the six bulls Manuel Sousa Jr. sent to Gustine on July 16 had the aggressive bravery. Some had smoother charges than others, but they all showed their ferocious nature in every charge. Entering the plaza with vigor and following the capes with abandon, they crashed into the barrera when the banderilleros sought the safety of the burladeros with the brave bulls in pursuit. And it was this bravery that gave value to the performances of the cavaleiro, Marco Jose, of the two matadors, Jose Ignacio Ramos and Jose Luis Goncalves, and the Forcados Do Aposento de Turlock. Most of the bulls were far from the easy. The moment a toreiro made a mistake these bulls were unforgiving. Marco Jose’s horses were bumped on several occasions, and both matadors, as well as the banderilleros, were caught by the bulls and tossed. But, when the bullfighters controlled the bulls, their work was artistic and had real merit. As a result, the bullfighters were awarded well deserved triumphant vueltas on all six bulls.

The forcados also had their hands full with such bulls. On the first bull, one of the more noble of the evening, Junior Machado made a spectacular pega as he received the bull from a far distance. The fourth bull was much more complicated, and Jason Vieria made a valiant try but was unable to hold the animal and received a rough tossing. The banderilleros were unable set up this bull for a second try, and it ended up being taken out on a rope.

Marco Jose showed his skill at handling horses and brave bulls, often “toreando” the bulls with the tail and hindquarters of his mounts the way a matador moves the cape just ahead of the bull’s horns. He placed banderillas and short banderillas with good style.

Jose Ignacio Ramos received his first bull with veronicas and then made two quites, the first of chicuelinas and the second of chicuelinas antiguas. After placing three pairs of banderillas, Ramos dedicated to the crowd and made a long and varied faena. He took a spectacular tossing that ripped the seat of his suit of lights, but recovered to continue and simulate the sword thrust. Ramos’ second bull was complicated, taking the lure with bravery but then turning sharply. The matador gave it a proper lidia, mainly of stylish high passes.

Jose Luis Goncalves’ first bull charged from one end of the plaza to the other. No cape work of note, but with the muleta, Goncalves made a masterful faena. He began with passes “sentado en el estribo” and worked his way to the middle of the ring where he did excellent derechazos. He stood his ground and kept the muleta in the proper place to control the bull. With the bull dominated, Goncalves did several desplantes kneeling in front of the bull. While such desplantes are not considered classical by many aficionados, they didn’t take away the excellent work the matador had done. The last bull of the evening was a beautiful cardeno, and while it took a while to settle its charge, Goncalves ended up giving outstanding naturals as the bull’s bravery grew as the fight continued. When he entered to simulate the sword thrust, the “moment of truth,” the bull caught Goncalves as he went in over the horns and took a rough tossing.

In short, an evening of brave bulls that gave merit to everything done in the ring. The crowd recognized this, applauding and throwing flowers and hats as the performers took their vueltas.

The Mexican Rejoneador (Bullfighter on Horseback) Gaston Santos Jr, will be taking the alternativa on the 19th of July in the plaza Campo Pequeño, within the capital of Lisboa, Portugal. His padrino will be Joaquín Bastinhas and the testigos will be Riveiro Telles, Manuel Lupi, Duarte Pinto and Ana Batista with bulls from Manuel A. Coimbra.

As it has been mentioned, Gaston will be the second Mexican rejoneador that has taken the alternativa in the plaza Campo Pequeño. The first was his father Gaston Santos, on the 2nd of September of 1954.

Gaston Santos, has been preparing in the bullranch of his padrino Joaquín Bastinhas, in the town of Elbas, a close proximity to the capital, where he has performed with several cows and bulls.

The horseman has brought with him, his horses named "Robespierre" and "Ovidio", with which he perform with, as he couldn't bring his third horse due to an injured hoof.

Santos will reach 177 corridas in his career, at the time of his alternativa, with the last being in February of this year in Saltillo. From this date he has performed in 20 corridas.

He feels very prepared to perform well and hopes to triumph so that he can add some corridas in Portuguese plazas.

(Translated and edited, report from ESTO 07/17/07)

I decided to go check it out, and it was alright. For me it was ok, but took a friend who loved the ambiente, even though it was her first time ever, and she's a tree hugger! She wants to go to Tijuana next time, we'll see. Will have to show her some video before she see's one live.

The corrida/festival was good, the portuguese horseman Alberto Conde was real good, especially on his last bull, the crowd was applauding at every placement, all placed on left side of bull. I missed the first bull of his lot as I arrived late. The second bull was good, this horseman showed his experience very well.

The young practicante Sario Cabral, didn't do so well on his first one, nor the last one, his experience showed, not fast enough exiting during placements, causing the horse to get hit against the burladero, his placements were all over the place, not grouped, one in the neck, the back, one in the neck again, two good ones, etc. Though on his second he had great placements, all grouped, and better exits than the others. More practice he should be doing good.

The forcados did pretty good, both teams got at least one good pega. The last pega sent a team member of the Amadores de Tulare to the hospital, after getting tossed, and stepped on for a few minutes. He was carried out unconscious, and cared for until the ambulance arrived.