Golden Horse Minerals (ASX:GHM) has reported further shallow, high-grade gold results from drilling at its Southern Cross project in Western Australia, with new intercepts extending mineralisation beyond the Hopes Hill pit.
Recent reverse circulation drilling at Hopes Hill South, about 200 metres from the existing pit, has intersected strong near-surface gold mineralisation, including:
- 7 metres at 13.0 grams per ton (g/t) gold from 13m, including
- 2 metres at 44.3g/t gold
The result confirms the presence of shear-hosted mineralisation beneath historic shallow workings and supports the company’s interpretation of a broader gold system.
System expanding across Hopes Hill
Ongoing drilling across Hopes Hill Main and North continues to define a large-scale mineralised system, with multiple high-grade intercepts reported, including:
- 11m at 2.2g/t gold from 144m
- 6m at 3.6g/t gold from 107m
- 4m at 4.06g/t gold from 64m
- 12m at 1.06g/t gold from surface
Diamond drilling has also returned encouraging deeper results, including:
- 1.91m at 4.99g/t gold from 207.5m
- 11.43m at 1.48g/t gold from 234.6m
These results indicate mineralisation extends both near surface and at depth across multiple zones.
“Our exploration strategy for 2026, The Year of the Horse, has been to step out with intent and drill test beyond and beneath the promising orebody at Hopes Hill – and we’re actively executing that plan," Golden Horse managing director, Nicholas Anderson, said.
“With some small-scale workings and the Irene Betty area previously receiving historic attention, our team has always viewed the Hopes Hill South area as geologically interesting which has been proven with the shallow intercept of 7m at 13.0 g/t Au in 26HHRC066, generating excitement in The Stable.
“Only 2 kilometres away, we’re continuing to build out our knowledge of the Hopes Hill North area with several RC intercepts also indicating that the broader mineralised system continues to develop both near-surface and at depth, rapidly building into a significant system in parallel with Hopes Hill Main underneath the historic pit. Further afield, our regional RC drilling programs for Q1 have concluded with a strong pipeline of results driving news flow in the near future, allowing us to gallop into the new quarter.
“We’re well-positioned to ride out the storm with our strong cash balance and a deliberate focus on project efficiencies to ensure we’re in tip-top shape throughout 2026 and beyond.”
Large-scale system emerging
The latest drilling supports the development of a large-scale gold system along the Frasers Shear Zone, within Golden Horse’s extensive 1,800km² landholding in the Southern Cross region.
At Hopes Hill South, mineralisation appears hosted in shear zones with potential for stacked lodes, highlighting further upside for resource growth.
Regional drilling programs at Hakes Find and Marionette have also been completed, with more than 5,000 metres drilledand assay results pending.
What’s next
Golden Horse is continuing an active drilling campaign across the project, with:
- Ongoing RC and diamond drilling at Hopes Hill
- Further assay results expected progressively
- Follow-up drilling planned to test extensions along strike and at depth
- Regional programs advancing, supported by soil sampling and target generation
The company is also progressing development studies at Hopes Hill, alongside environmental and hydrological work, as it continues to build toward a larger resource base at Southern Cross.