Morante suffers a two-way goring wound to his right leg in Pontevedra

Morante was finishing a series of natural passes with the first bull of the afternoon when the Garcigrande bull lay beneath him and wounded him on the inside of his right thigh, from which he was bleeding as he was taken to the infirmary for surgery. Initial reports indicated a severe but clean goring. Talavante finished off the animal, while the bullring's hearts sank. The La Puebla bull had been received with great admiration and affection. Closing the event was Daniel Luque, who left the cap of his first bull in the infirmary as a toast to the maestro.

The report issued from the bullring read: "Horn wound to the inner side of the right thigh, 10cm jagged wound affecting the subcutaneous tissue, muscle fascia and a tear in the adductor magnus with two trajectories: one downwards of 10cm, and another upwards of 6cm. Serious prognosis that prevents him from continuing the fight. The injured man, after receiving treatment, is transferred to the Quirón-Pontevedra Hospital."

Bad news for the Festival and for the bullfighting industry, as the Genius was filling the bullring like never before in his career. The cigar-maker's season is turning out to be historic for his commitment, afternoon after afternoon. He's putting in the effort like never before, regardless of the arena he's in, with such abandon of his body that at times it seems he's forgotten he has it. Belmonte used to say that "to bullfight well, you must forget that you have a body," but the Genius is taking it to the next level. He's so confident in the face of the bull that he's had more than one scare this season, so far no more serious than a knock.

From the one he suffered last June 15th in Móstoles—which caused him to miss several matches—or on July 20th in Roquetas, to this intense week, with scares every afternoon: he suffered a blow last Thursday in Mallorca; another in Marbella on Friday, where he was admitted to the infirmary for a laceration of the head. He didn't miss his date with El Puerto the following day, with another minor scare to his cape. He was seen at the El Puerto bullfight with a certain lack of reflexes, and had to fight with an injection. He wanted to celebrate the Genius's birthday with the Galician fans on the bullring's anniversary, with the bad luck that the bull seems to have taken hold.

The season of a maestro in a moment of unsurpassed genius has also led him to experience the most beautiful side of the Fiesta: on June 8th, he opened Madrid's main gate for the first time to a mass of fans, who marched to the hotel chanting "Jo-sean-to-nio-Morante-de-la-Puebla!" And he even managed to captivate the San Fermin fans on June 9th, also conquering Pamplona.