Ms. Janet Meiklejohn reports

STARDUST FILES NI 43-101 ON MCGARRY, HIGHLIGHTING KERR-ADDISON-STYLE GOLD SYSTEM AND CLEAR PATH TOWARD RESOURCE DEFINITION

Stardust Metal Corp. has filed an independent National Instrument 43-101 technical report for its McGarry project on SEDAR+, providing a comprehensive technical review of one of the most strategically located brownfield gold assets in the Kirkland Lake-Larder Lake district.

Highlights

• McGarry covers approximately 2.4 kilometres of the Larder Lake-Cadillac deformation zone, one of Canada's most prolific gold corridors.
• The project is immediately adjacent to Kerr-Addison and the NI 43-101 report identifies multiple zones as a potential western extension of the Kerr Horizon.
• Brownfield asset with a shaft to 698 metres, underground development and extensive historical drilling.
• Independent report concludes McGarry has potential for discovery and additional mineralization.
• Clear staged path toward a compliant mineral resource estimate.
• Additional upside through an untested district-scale geophysical target and tailings evaluation.
• Fully scoped 2026 program with estimated budget of approximately $2.5-million.

The report materially strengthens the technical case for McGarry as a high-potential gold project in one of Canada's premier gold districts and highlights a clear path toward validation, discovery, resource definition and growth.

"This report sharpens the case for McGarry," said Janet Meiklejohn of Stardust Metal. "This is a brownfield gold project beside Kerr-Addison, on the same major structural corridor, with significant historical drilling, underground access, preserved core and clear geological evidence that the system continues onto the property. Our job now is straightforward: validate the database, move toward a compliant resource estimate, and drill the best extensions and discovery targets."

McGarry project summary

The McGarry project is a past-producing gold property located approximately 10 kilometres east of Larder Lake, Ont., within the Abitibi greenstone belt along the Larder Lake-Cadillac deformation zone (LLCDZ), one of Canada's most prolific gold-bearing structures. The property is immediately adjacent to the historic Kerr-Addison mine and benefits from a setting long recognized as fertile for major gold systems.

A well-advanced asset with strong technical foundations

McGarry is not a grassroots story. It is a historically developed gold project with a substantial technical foundation built over decades of exploration and underground work.

The project hosts over 230,000 metres of drilling across more than 1,500 drill holes, supported by more than 86,000 assays, defining multiple zones of mineralization associated with major structural corridors along the LLCDZ, including the Armistice Fault.

Just as importantly, the NI 43-101 report states that the geology on the eastern side of McGarry appears very similar to the host rocks of the historical Kerr-Addison gold deposit.

The project also has significant infrastructure, including a shaft extending to approximately 698 metres, preserved core and underground development that could support future work aimed at confirming continuity and defining scale.

Defined path to resource and expansion

The report does not define a current mineral resource estimate. Instead, it lays out a clear and practical staged approach to get there, which forms the basis of the company's 2026 work program, described below:

1. Compile and digitize the historical data set to establish a complete and auditable database;
2. Complete comprehensive validation work, including relogging and resampling of preserved historical drill core;
3. Advance toward a compliant mineral resource estimate supported by updated geological interpretation and modern QA/QC (quality assurance/quality control), if warranted;
4. Complete targeted drilling to expand known mineralization and test high-priority targets along the LLCDZ.

The report also points to a compelling district-scale discovery angle. It highlights a deep, untested geophysical target near the intersection of the LLCDZ and the Armistice fault, while also supporting follow-up drilling beneath significant intercepts from the 2022 drill program.

The full program is estimated at approximately $2.5-million, covering data compilation, validation, resource work and drilling.

Additional opportunities to build scale

In addition to resource definition and extension drilling, Stardust is advancing initiatives that could further enhance the scale and development profile of the project.

The company intends to evaluate the grade, tonnage and metallurgy of the historic Kerr-Addison tailings situated on the McGarry property. These tailings represent a potentially significant near-surface bulk-tonnage opportunity that could add another dimension to the broader McGarry story.

In parallel, the company plans to advance work on a district-scale geophysical anomaly identified on the property. An ambient noise tomography survey is planned to refine the geometry and depth of this target and generate higher-confidence drill targets.

Advancing toward a defined asset

McGarry combines the advantages of a strategically located brownfield asset with the upside of a modern discovery and redevelopment story.

With strong geological links to Kerr-Addison, meaningful modern drill results, existing underground infrastructure and a clear technical road map toward resource definition, Stardust believes McGarry has the ingredients to emerge as a compelling gold opportunity in one of Canada's most proven camps.

Option agreement

With the completion of the NI 43-101, Orecap and Stardust executed a formal option agreement on April 24, 2026, with respect to McGarry on the same terms and conditions as disclosed in the Nov. 18, 2025, news release. This is a non-arm's-length transaction under TSX Venture Exchange policies and will be treated as a related party transaction for Stardust under Multilateral Instrument 61-101 -- Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions as certain directors and officers of Stardust are also directors, officers and/or shareholders of Orecap. In addition, Orecap holds approximately 13.9 per cent of the shares of Stardust. These directors and officers own, directly or indirectly, 4,901,000 Orecap shares.

About Stardust Metal Corp.

Stardust is a gold exploration company with assets on the world-class Cadillac Break and adjacent to Agnico Eagle, Barrick, Pan American and Gold Candle. Its main assets include the McGarry and Omega projects, in addition to its Kirkland West and Goldie projects. McGarry also contains a large historic tailings complex in the Kirkland Lake region.

QP (qualified person) statement

The technical information contained in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Dr. Mynyr Hoxha, PGeo, vice-president of exploration at Stardust Metal, a qualified person, as defined in National Instrument 43-101 -- Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects. For the exploration undertaken by Stardust, all assay batches are accompanied by rigorous quality assurance procedures, including the insertion of standards and blanks.

We seek Safe Harbor.