Even a torn spinnaker couldn't slow Black Magic.

The experienced sailors aboard the devilishly fast Black Magic made all the right tactical moves on Saturday, survived a few tense minutes when a sail ripped and then sped off to victory and a 3-0 lead over Italy's Luna Rossa.

New Zealand needs two more victories in the best-of-9 series to become the first country other than the United States to defend the oldest trophy in sports. Race 4 is scheduled for Sunday and Race 5 for Tuesday.

Kiwi tactician Brad Butterworth doesn't think Black Magic is miles ahead of the competition, as New Zealand's boat was in 1995's rout of Dennis Conner off San Diego that brought the America's Cup to Auckland.

Because of the shifty conditions on the Hauraki Gulf, this regatta has been as much about sailing skill as boat speed. The Kiwis, though, have both.

"It's just that we've managed to get ahead in the three races, and when we've got ahead I think we've done a good job in making sure the other boat stays behind," Butterworth said. "Especially today. It was a tough day to pass."

Race 3 had been postponed from Thursday, when the race director felt the wind was too unstable. Luna Rossa's crew, which thought a race should have been held Thursday, was eager to atone for Tuesday's disaster, when debris fouled its keel and a crewman was injured in a bloody accident.

But instead of cutting Black Magic's lead to 2-1, Luna Rossa watched the black boat sail away before the midpoint of the six-leg, 18.5-mile race. The final margin was 1 minute, 39 seconds.

"They're not slower than us," Luna Rossa skipper Francesco de Angelis said in a big understatement when asked if the boats had similar speed. "I think they are making no mistakes. There were no passing lanes, so it was hard to pass them once they were ahead."

Black Magic made big gains on each of the three windward legs, the biggest coming when the Kiwis took advantage of two wind shifts on the third leg and increased the lead from two lengths to about 10.

As Luna Rossa rounded the buoy and headed onto the fourth leg, tactician Torben Grael was heard to say, "We need something radical."

They didn't get it, even though the Kiwis had a rare bit of misfortune when their asymmetrical spinnaker ripped.

Now, if the America's Cup is to return to Europe for the first time since 1851, the Italians are going to need something miraculous to happen on the Hauraki Gulf, where downtown Auckland and the volcanic Rangitoto Island provide scenic backdrops to the racing.

There were an eventful few minutes aboard Black Magic sailing downwind on leg four when the Kiwis gybed their giant gennaker and the bottom panel tore open. Skipper Russell Coutts decided to stick with the gennaker rather than hoist a new one. The next time they gybed, from port to starboard, the sailors held their breath, wondering if the sail would fill with air or blow out. It held.

"We were fortunate it didn't break," navigator Mike Drummond said.

Luna Rossa gained 11 seconds during that sequence, but Black Magic still led comfortably by 1 minute at the bottom mark.

Luna Rossa kept the race close on the first two legs, trailing by just 17 seconds at the second mark until Black Magic blew it open sailing into the wind on the third leg.

"The instant the boats tacked, the lead turned into 30 seconds," Butterworth said.

That's because Black Magic was to the left of Luna Rossa and gained significantly when the wind shifted about 20 degrees to the left. Luna Rossa tried to mix it up with a tacking duel, but Kiwi tactician Brad Butterworth chose to keep going to protect the right side of the course, and gained again.

Black Magic kept a loose cover on Luna Rossa and led by a 1:11 at the mark.

Black Magic has led at all 15 turning marks in this Cup, just like it led at every one in beating Conner five years ago.