West Point Gold Buys Back 2% Royalty, Secures 100% Ownership of Black Dyke and Bull 8 Discoveries

West Point Gold Corp. has entered into agreements to accelerate payments and extinguish a 2% Net Smelter Return (NSR) royalty on 107 BLM lode mining claims within its Gold Chain Project in Arizona. The total cash consideration for the transaction is US$960,000, which also eliminates future bonus payments tied to a future Preliminary Economic Assessment (NI 43-101). The transaction simplifies the ownership structure of the western portion of the Gold Chain Project, encompassing the Black Dyke, Bull 8, and Gold Chain Hill targets.

Recent exploration success at Black Dyke highlights shallow, oxidized geometry with potential for open-pit development. Key intercepts include 36.6 m at 1.04 g/t Au from surface in hole GC26-095. Results at Bull 8 show an early-stage discovery along the Union Pass Fault Corridor, with hole GC26-136 returning 21.4 m at 1.01 g/t Au. Gold Chain Hill is characterized as a historical prospect with a notable 1986 intercept of ~52.0 m at 0.53 g/t Au. Management states the transaction simplifies landholdings and eliminates future royalty/bonus payments, expected to add long-term value alongside recent exploration success.

West Point Gold Corp. (WPG) spent US$960,000 to extinguish a 2% net smelter return (NSR) royalty. This cash outlay represents approximately 4.7% of the company's Q1 2026 cash balance of $20.3 million, an impact on the balance sheet that is negligible. Removing the royalty eliminates long-term production cost burdens and contingent bonus payments, directly improving the future project economics and cash flow profile of the western Gold Chain targets.

The move aligns with management's stated strategy to streamline land tenure and de-risk step-out targets ahead of the maiden resource estimate. It follows a steady stream of high-grade drill results at NE Tyro and Tyro Main, as well as positive metallurgical tests showing 87-92% recovery. The royalty buyback serves as a logical administrative and financial step to prepare these specific targets for resource definition.

West Point Gold Corp. is an exploration-stage gold company focused on advancing its flagship Gold Chain Project in Arizona and the newly acquired Baxter Spring Project in Nevada. The Gold Chain Project hosts multiple high-grade epithermal gold targets, including Tyro Main, NE Tyro, Black Dyke, Bull 8, and Sheep Trail. Drilling has demonstrated consistent high-grade continuity, widening zones at depth, and open-pit potential.

West Point Gold acquired the Baxter Spring Project in October 2025 for 13.5 million shares. Located in the Manhattan mining district near Kinross's Round Mountain mine, the property features historical high-grade intercepts and is slated for a 5,000m drill program in 2026.

Metallurgical testing has also provided key data for the company’s processing strategies. Phase 2 testing confirmed gold recoveries of 87-92% via milled material, supporting flexible processing strategies including heap leach or conventional milling.