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In a solo performance marked by anxiety and three returns to the ring.
Borja Jiménez’s performance at the Corrida In Memoriam was ultimately overshadowed by the fear of triumph, that gripping terror of failing to deliver the final blows that led to his victory. The only bulls he missed with the sword were those destined for glory. A myriad of adverse circumstances certainly played a part. But his poor judgment didn’t help either, coming out so aggressively, so rushed, burning his bridges. There was also a great deal of anxiety even in favorable circumstances. Jiménez didn’t find his composure until the substitute bull from El Torero, a truly exceptional animal, appeared. And this happened in the penultimate turn, displaying the commendable mental fortitude to withstand all the adversity, but lacking the clarity of mind to have steered the afternoon in a better direction much earlier. Even from the very beginning. It was always a race against time.
Borja Jiménez went down at the gate with the first bull as if there were no more bulls and no tomorrow. He miraculously escaped being gored so quickly, after a last-ditch dive to avoid the bull’s horn. The bull charged straight through like a shell and turned like lightning: Borja reached the barrier of the alleyway with death at his heels. He returned to the ring to perform a farol on his knees and, finally, three veronicas and a half-veronica there in the “9” (the ring’s name). The measured gallop of the Domingo Hernández bull was the complete opposite of the haste that BJ brought; quality pulsed in the way he positioned his head. He dedicated the bull to Julián Guerra, his manager, the mastermind behind his career, in a long speech. It was the only thing the bullfighter from Espartinas took his time with. After that, everything was very quick and continuous. A good start to the performance—two veronicas, his signature pass, another of disdain—; two good series of right-handed passes; A remarkable display of natural passes… And the good bull, which demanded the opposite of speed, became distressed at the end of the natural passes and lay down. He would never be the same again, and that was a crushing defeat. A low thrust of the sword, an ovation.
There was still a long bullfight ahead. But Borja Jiménez remained extremely aggressive. A five-year-old bull from Toros de Cortés, imposing, serious, and deep-chested, entered the ring, performing feats that, even with the necessary power, could have led him to glory. The fight was a disaster: BJ, his mind clouded, decided to attempt a chicuelina pass, precisely with this bull, after having barely participated in any other passes. The bull squatted several times, increasing the protests. The president supported him until an unfortunate high cape pass by the outstanding Álvaro de la Calle , as he exited a pair of banderillas, literally brought him down. The bull had to be dispatched, so badly positioned was it when he collapsed. The afternoon descended into absurdity, the initial hopes for triumph burned.
The second bull, also from Victoriano del Río, came out, ample in build, but seemingly unprepared. Borja Jiménez had once again gone to the gate in a considerable mess. The bull wasn’t worthwhile, but it was definitively doomed by a high pass that badly injured it. At least he’d been killing them off. They also rejected the third bull, from Domingo Hernández, and a scrawny one from the same ranch came out, the worst-looking bull of the entire month. And, to make matters worse, weak and limping. The performance unfolded amidst the expected protests, and the Sevillian’s composure still hadn’t returned.
The opportunity presented itself again with another bull from Toros de Cortés, of distinguished lineage: Soleares. Short, well-built, and very brave. Borja was sent to the gate again. As if that would fix anything. Jiménez didn’t crumble. Neither did Soleares. The performance had energy, more speed than rhythm, depth on his left side, always connected with the crowd. The occasional tug that made the bull dig its horns into the sand. BJ had turned the afternoon around, enough to earn a glimmer of hope, given the bull’s importance. A few manoletinas. And then the fear of triumph appeared. He went to stab the only bull he shouldn’t have. The trophy was requested, and he took a lap of honor around the ring as a consolation prize.
Tragedy hung over the arena when the fifth bull was returned to the ring, and once inside, it turned around. The gate wasn’t properly closed, and it opened, striking a worker who, for a few seconds, was unconscious and at the mercy of the beast: it didn’t even see him, charging alone against the second gate. On Sundays, miracles happen. Then a third bull, from El Torero, entered the ring, displaying great class. Borja Jiménez, still clinging to hope and now imbued with composure, delivered the performance of the afternoon, the curve and the slowness, a growing roar . The best possible bullfighter with his penultimate weapon. Madrid roared, at last. This was on the path to the Puerta Grande. But BJ—ah, his head—began to overdo it. As if he didn’t want to face the moment of the final act. And, when it came, with the bull already more withdrawn, he again caught bone with the sword. Again and again. The syndrome of panic in the face of triumph gripped him. The last bull was no good, and the slab fell heavily. This one, by the way, it did kill.
File
MONUMENTAL DE LAS VENTAS. Sunday, June 7, 2026. Memorial Bullfight. Bulls from Domingo Hernández (1st, 3rd and 5th) and Toros de Cortés (2nd, 4th and 6th); two five-year-olds (2nd and 4th); and a substitute bull from Victoriano del Río (2nd bis); another from Domingo Hernández (3rd bis); another substitute bull from El Torero (5th bis); of different builds and seriousness; the 3rd bis was unacceptable; the good 1st stood out; the very brave 4th; and the super class 5th bis.
BORJA JIMÉNEZ, IN WHITE AND GOLD. Falling thrust (ovation); crosswise thrust and coup de grâce (silence); crosswise thrust (silence); half-thrust and coup de grâce (petition and lap of honor); four punctures, half thrust and coup de grâce. Warning (applause); thrust (silence).