Golden Horse Minerals has revealed high-grade gold mineralisation extending over 3km at its Hopes Hill deposit, with recent drilling hitting standout intercepts including 12m at 7.0 g/t Au from 278m. The company is pressing ahead with an aggressive multi-rig 2026 drilling program to expand and refine the resource.
- Deep RC drilling confirms high-grade gold at depth
- Mineralisation now extends beyond 3km strike length
- Notable intercepts include 12m @ 7.0 g/t Au from 278m
- Multiple rigs active with further assays pending
- Structural complexity addressed with diamond drilling
Step-Out Drilling Reveals Exceptional Depth Extensions
Golden Horse Minerals (ASX:GHM) has delivered a significant breakthrough at its Southern Cross Gold Project, confirming high-grade gold mineralisation extending over 3km strike length at the Hopes Hill deposit. The standout result comes from the first deep reverse circulation (RC) hole at Hopes Hill North, 26HHRC024, which returned 12 metres at 7.0 g/t Au from 278 metres, including a blistering 5 metres at 14.5 g/t Au from 282 metres. This hole represents a dramatic +1,000m step-out from previous intercepts, underlining the scale of the mineralised system beneath the historic pit.
The extension supports Golden Horse’s geological model that envisages a heavily endowed orogenic gold system rarely seen in Western Australia. The mineralisation is associated with quartz, pyrrhotite, pyrite and pervasive biotite alteration, mirroring the style seen at the nearby Pilot mine, just 1.6km north, which hosts 54koz Au. This geological similarity hints at the potential for further high-grade zones along the strike.
Broad High-Grade Zones Confirmed Near Historic Pit
Beyond the deep step-out, ongoing RC and diamond drilling beneath and adjacent to the Hopes Hill pit has delivered a string of high-grade intercepts. Highlights include 12m at 4.5 g/t Au from 131m in hole 26HHRC133, 7.05m at 6.9 g/t Au from 286.95m in diamond hole 26HHDD005, and 27m at 1.4 g/t Au from 179m in 26HHRC139, which contains multiple higher-grade sub-intervals. These results reinforce the continuity of mineralisation both at depth and along strike.
Golden Horse’s Managing Director Nicholas Anderson emphasised the success of their multi-rig approach: "Our strategy of deploying two RC rigs at Hopes Hill North and South, alongside a diamond rig beneath the pit, has paid off handsomely. We are consistently seeing wide, high-grade gold results that validate our geological interpretation of a +3km long mineralised system."
Addressing Structural Complexity at Hopes Hill South
At Hopes Hill South, drilling has targeted geological complexities caused by cross-cutting faults, which appear to displace mineralisation by about 20 metres. Recent holes 26HHRC138 and 26HHRC139 have returned encouraging mineralised zones, including 15m at 2.1 g/t Au and 27m at 1.4 g/t Au respectively. These results help clarify lode geometries and fault offsets, with diamond drilling underway to gather structural data and refine the geological model for this structurally complex area.
Ongoing Drilling and Regional Exploration Activities
Golden Horse currently operates one diamond and two RC rigs onsite at Hopes Hill, soon to be bolstered by a fourth diamond rig. The company is systematically infilling drill gaps and extending targets along the +3km strike length beneath the historic pit. Assay results continue to flow, although some delays are noted due to laboratory backlogs.
Beyond Hopes Hill, Golden Horse is advancing regional exploration with rock chip and soil sampling programs, an inaugural RC drilling campaign at Greenmount, and planning for additional prospects. This multi-pronged approach underscores the company’s ambition to build on its Southern Cross footprint.
The latest drilling results build on previous successes, including visible gold intercepts and high-grade extensions reported earlier in 2026, which have steadily expanded the known mineralised strike length at Hopes Hill to over 3km. The company’s aggressive +125km drill program remains on track to deliver further insights into this promising gold system, with resource estimation updates anticipated as drilling progresses.
Golden Horse’s Southern Cross strategy also complements its copper-focused Sorrel Project in the Northern Territory, where high-priority targets have recently been identified, reflecting a diversified exploration portfolio across multiple commodities and jurisdictions. visible gold intercepts and high priority targets in these regions illustrate the company’s broad exploration momentum.
Bottom Line?
Golden Horse’s latest drilling confirms Hopes Hill as a large, high-grade gold system, but ongoing assay delays and structural complexities warrant close attention as the company refines its resource model.
Questions in the middle?
- How will upcoming assay results influence the scale and confidence of the Hopes Hill resource estimate?
- What impact will structural faulting at Hopes Hill South have on mining feasibility and resource continuity?
- Can Golden Horse replicate this exploration success at its other Southern Cross prospects or the Sorrel Copper Project?