Golden Horse Minerals reports robust assay results from 15 recent drill holes at Hopes Hill, confirming continuous high-grade gold mineralisation over 1.3km. Plans are underway to accelerate drilling with a diamond core rig to deepen geological understanding and advance resource definition.
- 15 new RC drill holes confirm continuous gold mineralisation over 1.3km strike
- Significant intercepts include 24m @ 2.8 g/t Au and 15m @ 2.7 g/t Au
- 38 holes drilled since January 2025 totaling over 7,600m
- Exploration Incentive Scheme grant secured for deeper diamond drilling
- Plans to accelerate drilling pace and complete JORC-compliant resource estimate
Latest Drilling Reinforces Hopes Hill Potential
Golden Horse Minerals Limited (ASX: GHM) has released assay results from 15 recent reverse circulation (RC) drill holes at its Hopes Hill gold project in Western Australia, continuing a string of encouraging outcomes that bolster the prospect of a large-scale, long-life open pit operation. The drilling campaign, which commenced in late January 2025, now totals 38 holes for over 7,600 metres, with multiple wide and high-grade gold intersections confirming the continuity of mineralisation along the entire 1.3-kilometre strike length of the historical Hopes Hill pit.
Among the standout results are intercepts such as 24 metres at 2.8 grams per tonne (g/t) gold from 95 metres depth and 15 metres at 2.7 g/t from 94 metres, both located within the central zone of the mineralised system. These results, alongside others from the northern and southern zones, demonstrate a consistent mineralised envelope with elevated grades, particularly in the pit’s central area.
Advancing Geological Understanding and Resource Definition
The company has secured funding through the Western Australian Government’s Exploration Incentive Scheme (EIS) to support deeper drilling activities. Golden Horse plans to mobilise a diamond coring rig in the coming months to undertake targeted deeper holes. This phase aims to enhance geological structural knowledge and better define mineralisation controls, which are critical for advancing towards a JORC-compliant mineral resource estimate.
Managing Director Nicholas Anderson highlighted the significance of the results, stating that the wide, high-grade intercepts validate the belief in a major mineralised system beneath the historical pit. He emphasized the company’s intent to accelerate drilling efforts “from a canter to a gallop” to rapidly delineate and extend the mineralised body.
Historical Context and Exploration Strategy
Hopes Hill has seen limited drilling since mining ceased in the mid-1990s, with previous operations constrained by tenement boundaries that restricted exploration below the pit floor. Golden Horse’s current program is the first comprehensive effort in decades to test the mineralisation continuity and depth potential. The drilling orientation and spacing have been designed to effectively test the steeply west-dipping mineralised zones, with true widths estimated at approximately 50-60% of downhole intercept lengths.
Quality assurance protocols including duplicate sampling, standards, and blanks have been rigorously applied, with assays conducted by Bureau Veritas in Perth. While some variability in duplicates reflects the natural vein variability, overall data quality supports confidence in the results.
Looking Ahead
Golden Horse’s strategic focus now turns to integrating these latest results with ongoing drilling data to refine geological models and resource estimates. The upcoming diamond drilling phase is expected to provide critical insights into the structural controls of mineralisation, potentially unlocking further extensions at depth. The company also plans metallurgical test work to assess processing characteristics, which will be essential for future development planning.
As the Hopes Hill project rapidly evolves, investors and analysts will be watching closely for the next tranche of assay results and the forthcoming resource update, which will be pivotal in assessing the project’s economic potential and advancing it towards production.
Bottom Line?
Golden Horse’s accelerating exploration at Hopes Hill sets the stage for a pivotal resource update and deeper geological insights.
Questions in the middle?
- How will the upcoming diamond drilling refine the understanding of mineralisation controls at depth?
- What metallurgical characteristics will the planned test work reveal about the ore’s processing potential?
- How quickly can Golden Horse scale up drilling to convert exploration success into a JORC-compliant resource?