Vancouver, British Columbia — January 15, 2026 — Leads & Copy — Gladiator Metals Corp. (TSXV: GLAD) (OTCQB: GDTRF) (FSE: ZX7) has announced a significant discovery at the Whitehorse Copper Belt following maiden drilling at a new target adjacent to the historic Black Cub South pit.
The five-hole (1,411m) drill program identified significant mineralization adjacent to the Cub Trend, which is defined by historical drilling and mining over a strike length of more than 1.5km. All five drillholes intersected high-grade copper-gold-magnetite skarn.
Drilling targeted overlapping Induced Polarization (IP) and gravity anomalies beneath shallow cover. The five holes confirmed high-grade copper-gold-silver magnetite skarn over 300m within a broader 800m coincidental IP and gravity geophysical anomaly. This has led to the new Cub Trend discovery known as “Cub East,” which remains open in all directions.
Assays from Cub East confirmed drilling intersected strong copper and gold magnetite-skarn mineralization. Highlights include:
- BCG-014: 44.2m @ 1.69% Cu, 0.93 g/t Au & 15.39 g/t Ag from 173.8m, including 27m of 2.56% Cu, 1.44 g/t Au & 23.85 g/t Ag from 183.0m.
- BCG-017: 17.70m @ 1.76% Cu, 0.69 g/t Au & 13.62 g/t Ag from 176.3m, including 13.7m @ 2.20% Cu, 0.88 g/t Au & 17.34 g/t Ag from 176.3m
- BCG-015: 16.3m @ 1.51% Cu, 0.24 g/t Au & 3.20 g/t Ag from 121.7m, including 9.3m @ 2.45% Cu, 0.29 g/t Au & 3.91 g/t Ag from 121.7m
- BCG-013: 19.0m @ 0.96% Cu, 0.29 g/t Au & 8.83 g/t Ag from 171.0m, including 5.1m @ 2.82% Cu, 0.69 g/t Au & 23.09 g/t Ag from 171.0m
Gladiator CEO Jason Bontempo said the drilling campaign on the newly identified geophysical target at Cub East has delivered exceptional high-grade results and a major new discovery, fully validating the company’s exploration strategy.
He said all five drillholes intersected previously unknown zones of high-grade copper-gold-magnetite skarn, confirming robust continuity across more than 350 meters of strike and 300 meters down-dip. Bontempo added that Gladiator’s ongoing IP survey has revealed strong chargeability anomalies extending well beyond the current drill area, pointing to further expansion opportunities to the south as well as at depth.
The Cub East prospect is adjacent to the >1.5km Cub Trend and the former Black Cub South Open Pit Mine. Four IP surveys lines were completed during late 2025 over a 1.1 by 1.5 km area along the Cub Trend. The new Cub East Discovery was identified from IP responses showing both high resistivity and high chargeability combined with high gravity anomalism.
The results of the IP strongly suggest that the current favorable response of the system is at least 800m long and remains open. Mineralization at Cub East is consistent with high-grade magnetite skarn intersected at the previously drilled Black Cub North prospect, and the previously mined Black Cub South deposit.
Drilling on resumption in February 2026 will target further strike and up-dip extensions within the 800m geophysical anomalies, to expand the mineralized footprint and bring mineralization closer to surface from the initially targeted deeper drilling focused on the broader IP responses.
Gladiator is fully funded to execute more a further 50,000m’s of additional diamond drilling in 2026. This drilling will be driven by expanded gravity and induced polarization (IP) surveys coupled with further surface mapping and data integration throughout the Whitehorse Copper Belt.
The Whitehorse Copper Project is an advanced-stage high grade copper (Cu), molybdenum (Mo), silver (Ag) and gold (Au) skarn exploration project in the Yukon Territory, Canada.
Copper mineralization was first discovered in 1897 on the Whitehorse Copper Belt and comprises over 30 copper-related, primarily skarn occurrences covering an area of 35km long by 5 km wide on the western margin of Whitehorse City, Yukon.
Key Institutional Investors include Dynamic, Mackenzie, Macquarie Bank and Orimco.
Caitlin Cheadle, Investor Relations, +1-778-403-5139, ccheadle@gladiatormetals.com
Source: Gladiator Metals Corp.
