Kiwis Take Command of Conner : America’s Cup: Black Magic leads, 2-0, as 4:14 margin is the biggest in finals since 1974.

How neat it would have been for Brad Butterworth to have his first child born on the day New Zealand won the America’s Cup.

The Kiwis are sailing as fast as they can, but they can’t do it before Saturday, and Maree Butterworth just couldn’t wait that long. Back home in Auckland, she gave birth to Claudia, 6 pounds.

“Fantastic,” Team New Zealand’s tactician said. “It looks like today’s one of the good ones.”

American counterpart Tom Whidden told him: “Maybe you should go home, Brad.”

While Butterworth called the moves and Maree endured labor back home in Auckland, skipper Russell Coutts sailed the Kiwis’ mighty Black Magic as if he were rushing the boat to the delivery room.

The 4-minute 14-second victory over Dennis Conner’s borrowed Young America made last Saturday’s opening 2:45 runaway look like a photo finish and sent reporters running to the record books to learn it was:

--The widest margin in a Cup finals match since Ted Hood’s Courageous, with a youthful Conner as tactician, blew away Australia’s Southern Cross by 7:19 off Newport, R.I. in 1974.

--The largest margin for a challenger since Britain’s Livonia embarrassed Columbia by 15:10 in 1871.

--Not even close to the largest margin ever, 38:54 by Mischief over Canada’s Atalanta in 1881.

But Conner doesn’t need to hear any of that. He’s still trying to figure out how his crew can now sail its unfamiliar boat to five victories in seven races against a team that has finished first in 39 of 40 races over the last four months.

Whidden said: “There are some areas where we can make some changes and maybe get us back in it.”

Otherwise, a five-race Kiwi sweep would collect the Cup as soon as Saturday. Butterworth could be going home by Sunday.

According to ESPN’s Jim Kelly, Conner, a realist, told oneAustralia skipper John Bertrand at breakfast Monday, “Today we will find out who will win the America’s Cup.”

What was scary for defense hopes is that, unlike the previous race, the seas Monday were relatively smooth and the winds a light six to nine knots--demonstrating that Black Magic is superior in any set of conditions, but especially those most often found off Point Loma.

Team chief Peter Blake, who grinds a winch on the boat, said: “Those were our conditions. After Saturday, we had a feeling that we would be OK against Young America in that stuff, and that proved to be the case.”

Whidden said: “There are other conditions in San Diego, but today’s were one where it’s important to go fast.”

Also impressive was that Black Magic overcame a horrible start and seized control of the race in less time than it takes to shear a sheep.

Team Stars & Stripes helmsman Paul Cayard guided Young America between Black Magic and the committee boat in the last minute before the gun, then peeled off toward the line to leave the Kiwis circling back almost dead in the water.

“Nice start, Paul,” Conner told Cayard.

Unfortunately, Conner’s plan was to go to the left side of the course. The wind shifted slightly right. Combined with its edge in speed, that was enough to lift Black Magic into the lead.

“We got some speed quickly and then some nice shifts, and it all turned out OK,” Coutts said.

Black Magic led by 39 seconds at the first mark and by as much as 4:31 at the last mark--the equivalent of 45 boat-lengths or three-fifths of a mile.

“I think there was more to it than just boat speed,” Whidden said. “I thought we had them pretty well taken care of at the start and they did a nice job getting back in the race. I think we actually ended up pushing them to the side that maybe was good, and we weren’t expecting that.”

The Kiwis aren’t cocky. There was no celebration at the finish, and Blake said: “The more racing you do, the more you realize that halfway doesn’t count, and we aren’t even halfway.”

Race 3 is scheduled today, with Wednesday off.