By Bill Finley
Angel Penna, Jr., who trained Eclipse Award winners Christmas Past and Laugh and Be Merry and was the son of Hall of Famer Angel Penna, Sr., passed away Tuesday at age 74.
Battling dementia, Penna passed away in his sleep in a memory care facility near his home in Boca Raton, Florida.
Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Penna was an assistant to his father before going out on his own in 1980. His clients at the time included Cynthia Phipps, who raced in the colors of Wheatley Stable, her grandmother's stable, which also had bred and raced Bold Ruler. Phipps owned Christmas Past, who failed to break her maiden in two starts as a 2-year-old, but put it all together the following year. Named the champion 3-year-old filly of 1982, she won five stakes that year, including the GI Coaching Club American Oaks, the GI Gulfstream Park H. and the GI Ruffian H.
Laugh and Be Merry was owned by Pin Oak Farm and was named champion grass mare of 1990. She won three stakes that year, including the GI Flower Bowl H.
“He loved his horses,” said his widow Ruth. “As you know, he was a good trainer. He took a lot of pride in bringing them to the races.”
Other top horses trained by Penna include Perfect Arc, Silver Voice, Via Borghese, Auntie Mame, A Phenomenon and Diamondrella. His clients also included Martha Gerry's Lazy F. Ranch.
According to Equibase, Penna had 586 wins in his career and earnings of $24,084,854. He made his last start on Nov. 4, 2021.
In addition to his wife, survivors include his stepmother Elinor Penna.
Not a subscriber? Click here to sign up for the daily PDF or alerts.
