Golden Horse Minerals has kicked off its 2026 drilling campaign at Hopes Hill with visible gold intersected in the first diamond hole, prompting an accelerated and expanded drilling program.
- Visible gold intersected ~200m down-dip beneath historic Hopes Hill pit
- High-grade assays up to 63.3 g/t Au from fire assay to extinction
- Expansion to five drill rigs onsite to expedite +125km 2026 drill program
- Structural reinterpretation highlights new NE-trending fault targets
- Ongoing assays and geological studies to refine exploration model
Visible Gold Confirms Potential at Hopes Hill
Golden Horse Minerals has started 2026 on a promising note with visible gold discovered in the very first diamond drill hole of the year at its Hopes Hill project, located near Southern Cross in Western Australia. The discovery, approximately 200 metres down-dip from the historic Hopes Hill pit, validates the company’s confidence in the mineralised system and its geological model adjustments.
The hole, designated 26HHDD001, returned a significant intercept of 4.0 metres grading 4.6 grams per tonne gold, including a higher-grade 1.1 metre section at 8.6 g/t Au. Notably, visible gold was found in the non-sampled half of the core, which led the company to undertake a comprehensive fire assay to extinction on adjacent samples. This detailed assay work revealed multiple intervals exceeding 5 g/t Au, with a peak assay of 63.3 g/t Au, underscoring the nuggety nature of the gold mineralisation.
Accelerated Drilling and New Structural Insights
In response to these encouraging results and buoyed by gold prices exceeding AUD 7,000 per ounce, Golden Horse has mobilised a second diamond drill rig and a third reverse circulation (RC) rig, bringing the total to five rigs onsite. This expansion aims to fast-track the previously announced +125km drilling program across the Southern Cross Gold Project.
Structural reinterpretation has been a key driver behind the new drilling strategy. The company’s geological team identified northeast-trending faults as potential conduits for higher-grade mineralisation, a departure from the traditionally targeted northwest trends. The first hole’s azimuth was adjusted to intersect these faults more effectively, resulting in the discovery of visible gold within a quartz-sericite schist footwall unit previously considered lower grade.
Broader Mineralisation Confirmed and Ongoing Exploration
Additional drilling results from both diamond and RC holes at Hopes Hill Main and Hopes Hill North support the presence of consistent mineralisation along strike and at depth. Highlights include a 6.6 metre intercept at 2.6 g/t Au from 379.5 metres and a 10 metre intercept at 1.2 g/t Au from 27 metres near surface. These results reinforce the potential for resource expansion beyond the historic pit, which produced 216,000 ounces at 2.4 g/t Au.
Golden Horse’s Managing Director, Nicholas Anderson, emphasised the significance of intersecting visible gold outside the conventional mine geology corridor, describing it as a “fantastic outcome” that validates the company’s geological model. He also highlighted the company’s commitment to accelerating exploration activities early in the year to unlock further value.
Next Steps and Market Implications
The company is progressing with core logging, assaying, and mineralogical studies to better understand the controls on mineralisation at Hopes Hill. Assay results from the extensive 2026 drilling campaign are expected to be released progressively over the coming weeks. Meanwhile, regional exploration continues with geophysical surveys and field mapping to refine the exploration pipeline.
Golden Horse’s strategic ramp-up of drilling and the discovery of high-grade visible gold signal a potentially transformative phase for the Southern Cross Gold Project. Investors and analysts will be watching closely as further assay results and geological interpretations emerge, which could redefine the project’s scale and economic potential.
Bottom Line?
Golden Horse’s visible gold discovery and drilling acceleration set the stage for a pivotal year at Hopes Hill, with upcoming assay results poised to shape the project’s future.
Questions in the middle?
- Will further drilling confirm continuity of high-grade mineralisation along the newly identified NE fault structures?
- How will the nuggety nature of gold at Hopes Hill impact resource estimation and mining plans?
- What are the implications of assay turnaround delays on the timing of market updates and project development?