September 25, 1998
by Lyn Sherwood
Uriel Moreno "El Zapata" salvaged an otherwise dreary afternoon, last Sunday in Plaza Monumental de Tijuana, by winning the only ear of the day, following a performance that contained equal parts of showmanship and artistry.
The key to the afternoon was the
herd of bulls from Piedras Negras. Many years had passed since
the aficionados had seen bulls from that prestigious ranch. Therefore,
it was especially disappointing that this herd reflected so poorly
on the honorable reputation of Piedras Negras. Their problems
included weak knees, a shortage of strength, and uncanny sentido.
Only the last toro of the day offered any opportunity for triumph.
Contracted to deal with them were Enrique Garza, Mario del Olmo, and El Zapata.
The first toro of the afternoon, for Enrique Garza, made a cautious entry. It was a toro soso (stupid) animal, dull and extremely dangerous. Garza's attempted cape work was not successful. After one pic, the act changed, and the matador from Monterrey placed banderillas, but without inspiration. The faena that followed was mostly horn-to-horn work, and Garza encountered troubles with the steel. Light applause.
Garza drew still another bastard in fourth place. There was virtually nothing with the cape. In his faena, the matador gave a very correct, honest lídia followed by an excellent sword placement. Applause.
Mario del Olmo is a talented, young matador who is always anxious to please, but with the bulls that he drew, there was very little opportunity for success. His first bull, Aguila Real, with 505 kilos, was a fine-looking animal. But, looks can be deceiving. It had weak knees and performed poorly against the horses. Del Olmo's faena was limited to horn-to-horn work. Applause.
He opened with excellent Veronicas and the Media Veronica to his second bull. But, with the red cloth, Del Olmo was unable to correct the bull's tendency to raise its head in the middle of each muletazo. More applause.
El Zapata is an interesting torero, one who reminds this observer of a young Raul Garcia. Indeed, he tends to invest a bit too much salsa picante in his cape and muleta work, but when he gets serious with the muleta, he can accomplish great things.
With his first bull, Zapata gave tremendistic cape work. He placed the sticks well, the third pair being La Violina. His faena was a mixture of tremendismo and honesty. After killing on the second entry, he was rewarded with a turn of the ring.
The fans were getting restless. The sun was low in the sky, and the long afternoon had been tedious, when the 475-kilo Rey de Copas blasted into the ring, to be met by very good Verónicas by El Zapata. He followed up with excellent placements of banderillas. He then designed a faena that was highlighted by grand temple to both sides, with clever adornments and the matador's unique personality. After killing on the second entry, the plaza judge granted one ear. The matador and the crowd were hoping for two ears, but the judge remained unmoved by the petition.
In all, not a great day, but one that had some interesting highlights.
TORO TOPICS:
With only a few weeks remaining in the season, the final corrida in Plaza Monumental's share of the temporada, with a herd of bulls from Mimiahuapan for Enrique Garza, Fernando Ochoa, and César Castañeda. The action begins at 4 p.m.
The aficionados are buzzing about a charity festival, slated for Oct. 4, in Plaza Monumental de Tijuana. Benefitting retired Matador Vicente Ruíz "El Soro", the afternoon will feature a herd of Hernando Limón bulls from Spaniards Rafael de Paula, Curro Vásquez, and Joaquin Bernadó, and Mexicans Joselito Huerta, Jaime Rangel, and José López Hurtado.
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