Solitaire Minerals and Horizon Gold Sign Agreement on Headway

Monday, March 17, 2003

Solitaire Minerals Corp. (TSX.V: SLT) is pleased to announce that it has signed an agreement with Horizon Gold wherein Horizon can acquire an interest in the Headway project.

Solitaire has an exclusive option, from King’s Bay Gold (TSX.V: KBG), to acquire up to a 50% interest in the Headway project by incurring exploration expenditures of $500,000 over a one-year period.

In the terms of the agreement, Horizon Gold will commit to incur $375,000 of the required exploration expenditures over a one-year period. Upon the expenditure of $375,000, Horizon Gold will have a total vested interest of 25% in the entire Headway project.

The Headway project is located in Balmer and Dome Townships approximately 1200m southwest, and directly adjacent, to Goldcorp Inc.’s (G - TSX) High Grade Zone, with a total gold content of 4.6 million ounces, as a result of an increase in reserves during 2002 of 1.96 million tons with an average grade of 2.35 ounces of gold per ton. (Goldcorp website).

Phase 1 of a comprehensive exploration program on the Headway project, strategically located in the Red Lake Mining District, Ontario commenced the week of March 10th 2003.

Phase I of the exploration program consists of linecutting and a ground magnetic geophysical survey. Drilling is expected to commence at a later date following the compilation and assessment of the geophysical data.

“This agreement is important to Solitaire Minerals in that it will allow the Company to aggressively develop it’s 100% wholly owned interests, and actively pursue new acquisitions and opportunities” stated Charles Desjardins, President, Solitaire Minerals Corp.

Solitaire Minerals Corp. is a Canadian mineral exploration company with a specific focus on prospective gold properties in North America. The Company has assembled a portfolio of precious metal exploration prospects in Ontario and British Columbia. Solitaire's Ontario properties in the prolific Red Lake/Birch-Uchi Greenstone Belt include the Headway, Pickle Crow and Garnet Lake prospects, in which Solitaire can earn up to a 50% interest through option agreements with King's Bay Gold Corp and the South Baird, Golden Pickle, and Chukuni River Prospects, which are held 100% by Solitaire. Each of these properties exhibits excellent potential for hosting high-grade gold deposits and is located within the world class Red Lake, Ontario area.

For additional information you can contact Solitaire Minerals Corp. at 604-683-5445 or visit the Web site at http://www.solitaireminerals.com.

On Behalf of the Board of Directors

SOLITAIRE MINERALS CORP.

"Charles Desjardins"

Charles Desjardins

President and Director

The TSX Venture Exchange has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.