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Winds force race postponement

The nine challengers will each race each other once in the two Louis Vuitton round robin events

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AUCKLAND, New Zealand (Reuters) -- Strongs winds in the Hauraki Gulf off Auckland have forced the postponement of the second day of racing in the America's Cup challengers series.

Winds of more than 25 knots and choppy seas made it too rough for racing in round robin one of the Louis Vuitton Cup, with the four scheduled races now to be sailed on Thursday.

Five reserve days have also been set aside.

Regatta rules provide for the postponement of races if the wind averages less than seven knots or more than 19 knots for any 10-minute period before the scheduled start.

Races can also be abandoned if the wind exceeds 23 knots after the start.

Rich syndicates Alinghi of Switzerland, Oracle BMW Racing and OneWorld, both of the United States, scored strong wins on the opening day of the series on Tuesday.

Larry Ellison's Oracle team beat Italy's Prada, the defending Louis Vuitton Cup champions, by 42 seconds.

Alinghi, led by former New Zealand Cup winning skipper Russell Coutts, embarrassed the French challengers Le Defi Areva by more than four minutes.

OneWorld crushed Mascalzone Latino, the second Italian challenger, by more than five minutes.

In the closest race of the first day, Dennis Conner's Stars & Stripes of the United States held off GBR Challenge, Britain's first Cup challengers in 15 years, by 20 seconds.

Conner's team will sail against fashion mogul Patrizio Bertelli's Prada on Thursday, with OneWorld to take on Alinghi.

Oracle are to sail against Mascalzone Latino while Sweden's Victory Challenge open their campaign against Le Defi after having a bye on Tuesday.

The nine challengers in the Louis Vuitton Cup will race each other once each in both of two round robins to determine the top eight teams which go through to the quarter-finals in November.

The winner of the challengers series will then take on holders Team New Zealand in the 31st America's Cup match from February 15.

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