** Santana Minerals SMI.AX rises as much as 6.6% to A$0.485, highest since Dec. 27, 2024
** Gold explorer posts upbeat drilling results at its Bendigo-Ophir gold project in New Zealand
** Says drilling results show high-grade mineralisation continuity at project
** About 820,000 shares traded vs 30-day avg of 1.3 mln
** Stock gained 44.1% in 2024
(Reporting by Jasmeen Ara Shaikh in Bengaluru)
((Jasmeenaraislam.shaikh@thomsonreuters.com))