Hoyos and Fabio Jiménez round off the season tickets series with one ear apiece

The season-ticket novillada series came to an end with an afternoon full of nuance and notable moments, as Valentín Hoyos and Fabio Jiménez both claimed trophies through performances of very different character. With a varied batch from Julio de la Puerta, the event produced passages of quality alongside a serious incident in the banderillas that shaped the course of the spectacle.

Valentín Hoyos made an emphatic statement from the outset by greeting the first novillo at the gate, a gesture that immediately lifted the crowd. The animal soon showed a tendency to head for the boards and a lack of commitment, forcing the young bullfighter from Salamanca to rely on his resourcefulness to keep the faena alive as it gradually lost momentum. His determination exceeded the novillo’s possibilities, and despite a request after the sword thrust, the outcome was an ovation.

His brightest moment arrived with the fourth. Facing a more cooperative opponent, Hoyos found greater fluency on the right hand, drawing music from the band and connecting with the stands through firmness and conviction. The novillo responded best at mid-distance, something the youngster used to his advantage to shape longer natural passes before a decisive killing blow secured the ear.

Fabio Jiménez provided one of the most aesthetic images of the afternoon with the second. His verónicas and the subsequent quite revealed a classical concept, rounded off with a beautifully tempered half-verónica that sparked the first olés. The banderillas tercio was overshadowed by the goring of subaltern José Gómez ‘El Topas’, who had to leave the ring after suffering a serious injury. With the muleta, the novillo showed limited strength, yet Jiménez managed the rhythm intelligently, building a composed faena based on positioning and tempo. Clean, single natural passes convinced the president, and a final sword thrust earned him the first ear of the day.

The fifth offered fewer opportunities. Awkward and unsettled, it allowed little continuity in circular passes. Even so, Jiménez remained willing and managed a few natural strokes towards the end before difficulties with the sword cooled the atmosphere and left him without reward.

Cristian González, meanwhile, could not find the right conditions to shine. The third, weak in the early stages, improved on the muleta and allowed several respectable series on the right, although the work lost intensity as the novillo faded. The sixth began with promise, enabling some acceptable right-handed passes, but the faena failed to lift off and his tally remained without trophies.

With nearly half the seats filled, the novillada closed the season-ticket series under the signature of two young bullfighters who left contrasting impressions: Hoyos with his unwavering commitment and Fabio Jiménez with his refined aesthetic style.