Born in Buenos Aires to a racing family, Angel Penna's father, father-in-law, and an uncle were all horse trainers.
[1] He won leading trainer honors in his native Argentina in 1952 and in Venezuela in 1954 then began competing in the United States.
Angel Penna returned to the United States in 1978 with Daniel Wildenstein horses including Waya with whom he won that year's Turf Classic and Man O' War Stakes.
He was soon hired by renowned American horse owner Ogden Phipps for whom he trained Relaxing, the 1981 U.S. Champion Older Female and won a number of important stakes races.
In 1988, Angel Penna Sr. was inducted into the United States' National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame.