NEWS RELEASE TRANSMITTED BY CCNMatthews

FOR:  HIGH RIVER GOLD MINES LTD.

TSX SYMBOL:  HRG

MARCH 10, 2003 - 09:46 EST

High River Gold Benefits From Exploration Strategy

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(TSX:HRG) - The corporate strategy of High 
River Gold Mines Ltd. is to focus on advanced projects. In order 
to maintain exposure to significant grass roots exploration 
discoveries the Company has acquired equity interests in and 
established preferred status agreements with well-managed 
exploration companies. To date High River has implemented this 
approach with two TSX Venture-listed companies, Intrepid Minerals 
Corporation (TSXV:IAU) and Jilbey Enterprises Ltd (TSXV:JLB). 
High River continues to evaluate opportunities with other 
well-managed exploration companies focused on prospective 
properties within trucking distance of the Company's existing and 
expected future processing facilities. 

Original press releases for the following updates can be found on 
Intrepid's website at www.intrepidminerals.com and Jilbey's 
website at www.jilbey.com. Please contact these companies 
directly if you wish to be placed on their fax and/or email lists 
for future reports on each company's activities. 

Diamond Drilling Confirms Bonanza Gold Grades on Intrepid's 
Casposo Project in Argentina 

Today, Intrepid Minerals reported significant drill results from 
the first two holes of the current programme on the Kamila 
epithermal system at its Casposo Project in Argentina. The 
primary vein in the first hole averaged: 

45.5 grams of gold per tonne and 256 grams of silver per tonne 
over 13.3 metres,  

including a high grade section of: 

247.6 grams of gold per tonne and 956 grams of silver per tonne 
over 2.0 metres. 

This hole was designed to twin a hole drilled in 1999 by Battle 
Mountain Gold which returned 12.2 metres (true thickness) of 13.1 
grams of gold per tonne and 170 grams of silver per tonne.  

The second hole in the current programme, designed to in-fill 50 
metres up-dip from the first hole, returned 13.4 grams of gold 
per tonne and 153 grams of silver per tonne over 4.6 metres. 

In a previous release (January 17, 2003) Intrepid announced 
excellent results from channel sampling of veins at surface. 


/T/

---------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------------------------
              Width (m) Gold (g/t) Silver (g/t) Gold Equivalent (g/t)
---------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Current DD 
 Programme                                                      
---------------------------------------------------------------------
 Hole #1           13.3       45.5    256  49.1          (1.4 oz/ton)
---------------------------------------------------------------------
  (including)       2.0      247.6    958 261.3          (7.6 oz/ton)
---------------------------------------------------------------------
 Hole #2            4.6       13.4    153  15.6         (0.46 oz/ton)
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Previous Surface 
 Results                                                      
---------------------------------------------------------------------
 Vein - 1          10.0      114.9    569 123.0          (3.6 oz/ton)
---------------------------------------------------------------------
 Veins - 2,3,4 
  (average)         8.7        6.8    121   8.5         (0.25 oz/ton)
---------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------------------------

/T/

The Casposo Project is located in a newly-evolving district 150 
kilometres south of the world-class El Indio gold belt. It 
encompasses an epithermal vein system, having a three kilometre 
strike length, within a belt of hydrothermal alteration that 
extends over twenty kilometres. The Kamila System represents only 
one of three targets within the three kilometre strike, each of 
which has the potential to host significant bonanza gold-silver 
deposits. Intrepid plans to diamond drill a total of 4,000 metres 
during 2003 on the Casposo targets. 

In addition to the Casposo Project, Intrepid has embarked upon 
three drill campaigns to test a number of priority gold-silver 
targets on its other projects in Latin and Central America. High 
River's corporate objective, long term, is to hold an equity 
interest of approximately 25% in Intrepid; currently the Company 
has a 14% interest. 

High River Closes Agreement with Jilbey 

High River and Jilbey today announced they have closed the 
previously reported (February 10, 2003) letter agreement whereby 
High River has acquired and transferred two mineral exploration 
permits adjacent to its Taparko property in Burkina Faso, West 
Africa, to Jilbey in exchange for a 9.9% equity interest in 
Jilbey. Jilbey will fund the exploration programmes on these 
permits and High River will operate, using its existing 
resources, technical expertise and infrastructure in Burkina 
Faso. In the event a deposit is discovered, High River has the 
right to purchase a 50% interest in each property at a cost of 
1.5 times Jilbey's expenditures to date on that property. Work is 
to commence shortly on both properties. 

-30-
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:
High River Gold Mines Ltd.
David Mosher
President and CEO
(416) 947-1440

or

High River Gold Mines Ltd.
Don Whalen
Chairman
(416) 947-1440
www.hrg.ca
 
 

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