OENOMAUS

[Greek heroic] The son of Ares, king of Pisa in Elis, and father of Hippodamia (2). According to a prophesy, he would die the moment his daughter was married. Therefore he promised the hand of his daughter to the only one who could beat him in a race. The god Poseidon had given him horses whose speed was unsurpassed, so Oenomaus was sure of his victory. Pelops, however, bribed Myrtilus, the driver of Oenomaus, and he removed the linchpins of the chariot. When Pelops then challenged Oenomaus to a race, the latter died when his chariot crashed.