• Recent drilling confirms high-grade mineralisation in the floor of the Challenger West open pit
• Assays include intervals up to 60 g/t Au, providing potential to supplement mill feed and increase overall grade
• Ongoing drilling and DFS targeting conversion of resources to reserves and a simplified initial operation

Barton Gold has recently completed 8,065m of reverse circulation (RC) drilling at its Challenger Gold Project in South Australia, targeting resource upgrades at the Challenger 'Main', 'Challenger West', 'Challenger South-Southwest' and 'Challenger 3' open pit areas. The latest assays are from the Challenger West pit and confirm high-grade mineralisation in the pit floor, with results including 3m at 20.6 g/t Au from 13m (including 1m at 59.5 g/t Au) and 1m at 20.5 g/t Au from 17m. These shallow, high-grade materials can be accessed by simple excavation and will be used to supplement other Challenger feed sources, increasing the overall grade profile of mill feed. Barton is progressing a Definitive Feasibility Study (DFS) for Challenger, targeting an initial 3-4 year 'baseline' operation utilizing only historical higher-grade tailings and limited near-surface materials, without disturbing the historical high-grade underground mine. This simplified approach aims to de-risk an operational restart at Challenger and maximize development optionality for Barton's broader asset portfolio, including the Tarcoola, Wudinna and Tolmer projects.

Barton is targeting conversion of Challenger's easily accessible mineralisation to JORC (2012) 'Indicated' categories and, subject to the DFS, JORC (2012) Ore Reserves. The company is also evaluating opportunities to extend the Challenger West open pit to pursue near-surface extensions of the high-grade mineralisation.