Ciudad Real 2014: La Feria de los Mil Triunfos y el Rugido de Fandiño

Sometimes, there are Fairs that seem destined to remain in memory. The 2014 edition in Ciudad Real was one of them: intense, radiant and overflowing with triumphs. From the presentation of the posters — a real celebration that gathered more than 4,000 people — to the final lap of honour, the city lived four days of bullfighting passion like it hadn’t seen in years.

The company Maxitoro had prepared a perfectly crafted cycle, truly monumental, and not by chance. Each afternoon had its own story, its own flavour. The Fair began with the so-called “Corrida of the Manchego Toreros”, a card full of local emotion featuring Aníbal Ruiz, Luis Miguel Vázquez, Fernando Tendero and Emilio Huertas — all carried out on shoulders together with the breeder of Los Chospes. The image of the four local matadors leaving through the Puerta Grande remains a historic moment that still moves many fans.

But the climax came the following day, on 18 August, when the great figures of bullfighting — Enrique Ponce, El Juli, Miguel Ángel Perera and Alejandro Talavante — offered an afternoon worthy of remembrance. El Juli pardoned “Golfo”, a bull from Torrealta whose bravery will be talked about for years, sealing with that gesture a masterful performance. Ponce, for his part, once again displayed his eternal artistry, cutting two ears and also leaving through the Puerta Grande. It was a triumphant day, one that justified the entire Fair.

And still, there was the golden finale. On 19 August, Juan José Padilla, Iván Fandiño and Daniel Luque closed the cycle with another memorable afternoon. The three won over the Manchego audience and all left on shoulders.

Today, when we mention Fandiño, emotion returns. Fate wanted him to meet death in a quite, true to his concept of bullfighting — one that knew no half measures. His memory lives on in afternoons like that one in Ciudad Real, where courage became art, and art became legend.

The 2014 Fair was, in short, a hymn to triumph and passion for bullfighting. Three consecutive afternoons of Puertas Grandes, of genuine emotion and a devoted crowd. Ciudad Real was, for those days, everything a true aficionado dreams of — a ring ablaze with the truth of bullfighting.