The bull Malacrianza was at the fiestas in Garza Beach Saturday April 21 and as usual stunned everyone. The fame of this animal is known throughout the country and attracts crowds every time there is a bull riding event. But have you ever wondered who had the boldness to raise Malacrianza?

VON went to the fiesta in Garza, the birthplace of Malacrianza, and took the opportunity to talk with the previous owner of the bull, Mario Urbina Leal. He told us some anecdotes and trivia about the animal.
Mario Urbina is 77 years old and although he lives in Nicoya, he spends much of his time in Playa Garza.

"I don't feel nostalgic, but I'm glad to come back and see him here, and [the bull] is pretty old," he commented. He affirmed that the bull is already in adulthood, although he remembers the moment he was born as if it were yesterday.

"Malacrianza was born on July 20, 2000. He is the son of the famous bull Pichicareto's daughter and [Malacrianza's] father was a stud bull that I bought from William Elizondo Tilarán in Los Angeles, so this bull is a Creole crossed with a stud," he explained.

An interesting fact that Urbina related is that, in the natural course of life, the animal would have been working as an ox instead of being used in bull riding.

"We sold him when he was 4 years old. We hadn't tried him as a riding bull yet. My children tried to put a yoke on him four times and the other bull who was his yoke partner spent the whole time bent down. He wouldn't let them put on the yoke, so we could not make him an ox. That was when we decided to sell him to Sir Uwaldo Rodriguez," he related.

Also, Urbina told us that the bull "was called El Pinto [but] later when he started to become a famous riding bull, for his speed and fierceness people started calling him Malacrianza."

Overall, Mario Urbina believes that Malacrianza is more dangerous than the famous Chirriche. "Malacrianza jumps up and down a lot, and he also has large horns. He's very dangerous. He has already killed two bull riders and injured many others," he affirmed.

Quote in case needed: "He was called El Pinto [but] later when he started to become a famous riding bull, for his speed and fierceness people started calling him Malacrianza." Urbina Mario Leal.

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